SANAA, Jan 7: Yemen’s acting leader has threatened to leave office unless outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his allies stop “interfering” in his duties, a senior member of the opposition said on Saturday.

The rift between Mr Saleh and his deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is the latest obstacle to a GCC-brokered plan to end months of protests and political deadlock that have paralysed the Arabian Peninsula state.

“Relations between Saleh and his deputy have deteriorated…and Hadi has informed western mediators he will leave Sanaa if the interference in his jurisdiction continues,” a senior member of the opposition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) said.

Under a power transfer plan drawn up by Yemen’s wealthier neighbours, the JMP and Mr Saleh’s General People’s Congress party (GPC) divided up cabinet posts, forming a national unity government to steer the country towards a presidential election in February under Mr Hadi’s leadership.

Mr Saleh signed that deal in November, having backed out of it three times beforehand, but question marks remain over the intentions of the veteran leader, who earlier this week said he would stay in Yemen, reversing a pledge to travel to the United States.

The JMP member said Mr Hadi warned the mediators he would go to the southern port city of Aden and give up his position if Mr Saleh and his followers continued to hinder him, adding that their differences had led him to boycott a recent meeting.

Relations between Mr Saleh and his deputy soured after Mr Hadi refused the president’s orders to restore his allies to jobs from which they were ousted by protesting workers, the JMP figure said.—Reuters