CAIRO: Arab League representatives meeting in Cairo on Tuesday condemned "crimes against civilians" in Yemen and urged the Sanaa government to deal with the people’s demands in a "peaceful manner."
The Arab League "strongly condemns the crimes committed against civilians, and calls for concerted efforts to safeguard national unity and the right to free expression," they said in a statement.
They also called for "dialogue and democratic methods to deal with the demands of the Yemeni people in a peaceful manner."
A top official told AFP on Tuesday that Yemen’s embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh has agreed to leave office by January 2012 after a parliamentary election, 20 months earlier than planned.
But Yemen’s parliamentary opposition rejected the offer.
Tanks deployed in Sanaa on Monday as top generals pledged allegiance to the "revolution" and Yemen’s main tribal leader demanded Saleh’s exit from power.
Saleh’s regime was internationally condemned after more than 50 people were killed when loyalist gunmen opened fire on Friday on protesters in Sanaa’s University Square, the centre of the pro-democracy movement.
The Arab League said it would monitor "the grave situation in Yemen."
