A still image taken from footage of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh giving a televised speech after refusing to sign a transition of power deal in Sanaa May 22, 2011 - Reuters (File Photo)

WASHINGTON: The United States is disappointed that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has rejected a deal to step down, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said late on Sunday, urging him to sign the agreement.

“We urge him to immediately follow through on his repeated commitments to peacefully and orderly transfer power and ensure the legitimate will of the Yemeni people is addressed. The time for action is now,” Clinton said in a statement.

Despite intense diplomatic pressure from Yemen's Gulf Arab neighbors and Western mediators, Saleh rejected a deal to step that would have given him immunity from prosecution.

The mediators were hoping to bring an end violence in which more than 170 Yemeni demonstrators have been killed.

“The United States is deeply disappointed by President Saleh's continued refusal to sign the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative,” Clinton said.

It was the third time an agreement for him to leave after 33 years in power had fallen through at the last minute.

“President Saleh is now the only party that refuses to match actions to words,” Clinton said, adding that the other parties to an agreement already had signed off on it several times.

Clinton said the United States was also outraged to learn that gunmen loyal to Saleh had surrounded the United Arab Emirates embassy in Sanaa, trapping inside US Ambassador Gerald Feierstein and other Gulf and Western ambassadors who were working to resolve the crisis.

“We condemn this action and call on President Saleh to meet his international obligations to ensure the safety and security of all foreign diplomats and their staffs working in Yemen,” Clinton said.

The diplomats were reported to have left by helicopter, after the UAE urged Yemeni authorities to secure its embassy.