YEMENI president Ali Abdullah Saleh will make a media appearance within the next 48 hours, his secretary said yesterday.

The head of a grouping of Gulf Arab nations has presented a new proposal to Yemen's embattled president to resolve the country's crisis, calling on him to hand over power to a successor of his choice and leave within a month, according to a senior government official.

PRESIDENT Ali Abdullah Saleh indicated he was ready to cede power to stop more bloodshed in Yemen but only to what he called “safe hands” as tens of thousands rallied against him in “Day of Departure” protests.

YEMEN’S president has warned his country would descend into civil war if he were forced to quit and the US voiced concern about instability in the Arabian state that has become an al-Qaida stronghold.

Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh has said he is willing to step down by the end of the year as part of a “constitutional” transfer of power.