SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's opposition warned the government on Thursday that violence against street protesters demanding the removal of President Ali Abdullah Saleh could derail a deal aimed at ending the political standoff.
Plainclothes gunmen killed 12 people and wounded dozens more in Yemen's capital on Wednesday when they opened fire on anti-government marchers just days before a Gulf-mediated deal to end the crisis was due to be sealed. "In the event of your inability to protect protesters, we will find ourselves unable to pursue an agreement that the regime seeks to use to shed more blood," the opposition coalition said in a statement.
A deal to end the crisis by easing Saleh out within a month was expected to be signed on Sunday in Riyadh, three months after Yemenis took to the streets, inspired by revolts that toppled autocratic rulers in Egypt and Tunisia.
But on Thursday Saleh appeared to raise a potential problem when he told Russia's Arabic language Russia Today channel that he objected to the presence of Qatari representatives.
"We will have reservations about signing if representatives of Qatar are present among the Gulf foreign ministers," Saleh said. "(Qatar) is involved in a conspiracy not just against Yemen but against all Arab countries."
He singled out Qatar's pan-Arab television channel Al Jazeera, which Saleh has accused in the past of provoking the protests. He also accused Qatar, a tiny but gas-rich Gulf state, of funding the opposition in Yemen.
The balance of power has tipped against Saleh, long a key ally of the West against al Qaeda, after weeks of violence, military defections and political reversals.
Wednesday's killings capped a day of demonstrations by tens of thousands of Yemenis, many protesting against a plan supported by the government and the main opposition group which would give Saleh a month-long window to resign
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