Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced he will leave office in line with a Gulf-brokered power transfer plan, while also lashing out at opponents.

On Saturday, Saleh said the country's vice president is working to complete a dialogue with the opposition and sign the Gulf initiative and its operational mechanism. He said the goal was to achieve a legitimate, peaceful and democratic transition and conduct early presidential elections.

Saleh has three times agreed to sign a power transitional deal mediated by the Gulf Cooperation Council, only to back out at the very last minute each time.