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Yemeni President Saleh, With Immunity, Headed To U.S.


Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh left for medical treatment in the United States one day after a long-awaited law granted him "complete" immunity in return for stepping down.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh left for medical treatment in the United States one day after a long-awaited law granted him "complete" immunity in return for stepping down.
Yemen's official news agency says President Ali Abdullah Saleh has left Oman after a brief stopover and is en route to the United States for medical treatment.

Saleh left Yemen for neighboring Oman on January 22, one day after parliament adopted a law giving him "complete" immunity from prosecution in return for stepping down under a transition deal brokered by Persian Gulf neighbors.

Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 33 years, had for months refused to sign off on the power-transition plan despite months of mass protests demanding his resignation.

The United States has confirmed it issued a visa for Saleh, but Washington said it expected him to remain in the U.S. only for a "limited time" to undergo medical treatment.

compiled from agency reports

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