Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called on Sunday for dialogue with his opponents during the Muslim fasting month of Ramazan to help resolve a crisis over demands for his removal which has paralysed Yemen and confounded efforts at mediation.
The opposition has previously rejected invitations to negotiate, saying talks can only take place after Saleh signs a Gulf Arab plan to ease him out of power after 33 years in office.
"There is no alternative to dialogue which sets out from national and constitutional principles," said Saleh in a statement issued for Ramazan and carried by the state news agency Saba.
Saleh has frustrated hundreds of thousands of Yemenis who hoped they had seen the last of him when he flew to Saudi Arabia, where he is still convalescing after undergoing eight operations following an assassination attempt in June.
He has proved a wily political survivor, holding on to power despite six months of protests against his rule and international pressure on him to leave.
"We reiterate on this occasion the need for commitment by all sides to the Gulf initiative," Saleh said, referring to the plan which he has three times appeared to accept and then backed out of signing at the last minute.
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