<p>Saleh, facing an unprecedented challenge from hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country, initially had accepted an offer by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to hold talks with the opposition. But on Wednesday, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani told reporters that the GCC instead would strike a deal for Saleh to step down. <br /><br />“We don’t get our legitimacy from Qatar or from anyone else...we reject this belligerent intervention,” Saleh told cheering supporters in the capital.</p>
<p>Saleh, facing an unprecedented challenge from hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country, initially had accepted an offer by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to hold talks with the opposition. But on Wednesday, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani told reporters that the GCC instead would strike a deal for Saleh to step down. <br /><br />“We don’t get our legitimacy from Qatar or from anyone else...we reject this belligerent intervention,” Saleh told cheering supporters in the capital.</p>