SANA'A (Update 2) - A deal on a peaceful transition of power in Yemen could come as early as Saturday and would be based on an offer by President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down by year-end, Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi said. Yemen, a poor and tribally divided country that has become a base for al Qaeda, has been in turmoil since January when the example of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions set off popular demonstrations to end Saleh's 32-year authoritarian rule. "I hope it will be today, before tomorrow," Qirbi, who is serving as caretaker foreign minister, told Reuters in an interview, adding that the time frame of a transfer of power by Saleh could be negotiated. Saleh, who oversaw the 1990 unification of north and south Yemen and emerged victorious from a civil war four years later, told tribes in Sanaa on Saturday that he would "work to avoid bloodshed using all possible means." He said on Friday he was ready to relinquish power to forestall more bloodshed but only to what he called "safe hands" after weeks of street demonstrations demanding his departure. "President Saleh is willing to look at all possibilities, as long as there are really serious commitments by the JMP (opposition) to come and initiate a serious dialogue between them and the ruling party," Qirbi said. Talks have been under way on two tracks to hash out the details of a deal on a peaceful transition of power in the Arabian Peninsula state that is home to a resurgent arm of al Qaeda, Yemeni political sources have said. Qirbi said Yemen's main opposition party would be holding talks with the ruling party on Saturday. Discussions were centering on the time frame of a transition, among other issues. "I think the time period is something that can be negotiated. It shouldn't be really an obstacle to reach an agreement," he said. "I think things are very close if the real intention is really to reach an agreement. But if there are parties who want to obstruct it then of course one cannot predict." Saleh has responded to the mass protests with a violent crackdown and a string of concessions, all rebuffed by opposition parties, including one this week to transfer power after the drafting of a new constitution and parliamentary and presidential elections by the end of the year. Western countries worry that al Qaeda militants could take advantage of any power vacuum arising from a rocky transition if Saleh, a linchpin US and Saudi ally fighting for his political life, finally steps down after 32 years in office. More than 80 people have been killed since anti-government protests started in January to demand the departure of Saleh, a serial political survivor of civil war, separatist movements in the north and south of Yemen and militant attacks. The protests turned bloody last Friday when plainclothes snipers loyal to Saleh fired into an anti-government crowd, killing 52 people. That led to a string of defections that badly eroded Saleh's position including by top military commanders such as General Ali Mohsen, as well as ambassadors, lawmakers, provincial governors and tribal leaders, some from his own tribe.
