U.S. Tells Yemen Leader To Leave Office Soon

Politico reports:

The Obama administration’s chief counter terrorism adviser told Yemen’s troubled president during a face-to-face meeting that he needs to “fulfill expeditiously” his promise to resign.

John Brennan met with Ali Abdullah Saleh in Saudi Arabia, where he is recovering from burns he suffered during an attack on his presidential compound June 3.

“During the meeting, Mr. Brennan called upon President Salih to fulfill expeditiously his pledge to sign the GCC-brokered agreement for peaceful and Constitutional political transition in Yemen, ” the White House statement on Sunday read.

Saleh, in authoritarian power for 33 years, has been the target of street protests in his country this year. He signed a pledge agreeing to step down as president in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

During the meeting with Brennan, Saleh looked healthier and “in much better shape” than during a prerecorded speech that aired Thursday on Yemen’s state television, Al Jazeera reported.

Yemen has been home to U.S. drone strikes on al-Qaeda targets and is believed the current location of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born terror leader with connections to the Fort Hood shooter, the Christmas Day underwear bomber, the Times Square bomber and other terror suspects.

Al-Awlaki was the subject of a failed U.S. drone strike in May.

“The United States believes that a transition in Yemen should begin immediately so that the Yemeni people can realize their aspirations,” the White House said.