SANAA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered Friday the National Defense Council to commence implementing the latest reform initiative he offered to the opposition on Thursday to prepare transferring power to the parliament by the end of this year, official Saba news agency reported.
Saleh made the order during a meeting of senior security officials and army members of the country's National Defense Council in the capital Sanaa.
The president, who has been in power for 33 years and is facing growing demands for his stepping down from thousands of protesters across major cities, renewed his calls for the opposition to resume dialogue, according to Saba.
