Yemenis hesitant to believe Saleh’s claims of stepping down

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh's remarks that he would step down in the coming days fell on deaf ears at Sanaa's "Change Square" where Yemeni protestors had camped out. They believed his suggestions was another promise that would be broken.

According to a government official, Saleh was showing his readiness to reach a deal after months of protests.
However, analysts agree with the protestors, reports Reuters . The vow, which has been made by Saleh three times this year is simply a stalling tactic.

"Where is the catch?" said Gregory Johnsen, a Yemen scholar, to Reuters. "Saleh is dealing with a trust deficit in Yemen, and Yemenis are very wary of promises from this president."

More from GlobalPost: Yemen's President Saleh says he is stepping down within days.

President Saleh has already pulled back from signing a Gulf Arab peace initiative three times. The initiative would have seen Saleh form an opposition-led cabinet and hand power to his deputy before early parliamentary and presidential elections.

Tawakkul Karman, a Yemeni activist and one of the three winners of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize has promised to donate the prize money to Yemen's public treasury. However, she maintains that this will only happen after Saleh is ousted.