April 5, 2011 US pushing for negotiated transition in Yemen - Pentagon
WASHINGTON, A Pentagon spokesman confirmed Tuesday that the US was pushing for a negotiated transition in Yemen "as quickly as possible".
_"Obviously the situation right now is a difficult one. The longer it festers, the more difficult it becomes," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters.
_"That is why this government has been urging a negotiated transition as quickly as possible."
Violence by forces of Yemen's embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh has increased.
Earlier, Yemeni soldiers and police snipers opened fire on demonstrators calling for the ouster of the embattled president, killing at least 12 people and defying US and European calls for a speedy deal to end months of bloodshed.
Pentagon officials also fear that the chaotic security conditions in the country might embolden senior Al-Qaeda officials in Yemen to come out of hiding.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2157764&Language=en
