Following weeks of negotiations brokered by the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC-comprising six Gulf states), the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, appears to be on the verge of finally agreeing to leave office. The deal proposed that Mr Saleh stand down within 30 days of accepting the agreement, during which a national unity government between the ruling General People's Congress (GPC) and the main opposition bloc, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), would be formed, before briefly handing power to the vice-president, Abdel-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who would then rule for 60 days until a presidential election.

As an incentive for the president to approve the plan, Mr Saleh would be given immunity from prosecution for him, his family and his aides (albeit after parliamentary approval, which would in reality be a foregone conclusion given the dominance of the GPC). Mr Saleh issued a cautious initial acceptance of the plan, stating: "We will work with the Gulf initiative, within the framework of the Yemeni constitution." A more concrete commitment was subsequently issued by Abdoh al-Janady, the deputy information minister, however, who, speaking on behalf of the president and the GPC, voiced approval of the plan, adding that "there are no reservations".

The opposition JMP remained guarded, however, saying that it agreed to the main points of the plan, but that it rejected the notion of joining a coalition government during the initial 30-day period (when Mr Saleh would still be at the helm). The US, which, along with the UK, is believed to have contributed to the crafting of the deal, stated that it encouraged "all parties to move swiftly to implement the terms of the agreement".