Yemen president says he wants to leave power

In his first major speech since returning to Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh made vague comments Saturday that he is willing to leave power but offered no concrete plan for the country’s future. Yemen’s opposition voiced doubt that the embattled leader was serious.

It was not the first time Saleh has expressed a willingness to step down amid eight months of protests demanding his ouster.

But he has repeatedly refused to resign immediately and rejected a U.S.-backed deal for him to hand over his authority.