A student shouts slogans as army soldiers block Yemeni public school teachers demonstrating to demand a pay rise in Sana'a, Sunday. (Reuters) SANA'A: Two Yemenis died and dozens were wounded on Sunday when police used live rounds, tear gas and batons to try to break up protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who called for an end to weeks of unrest. Saleh urged the opposition to end protests demanding his departure, saying he was “willing” to discuss a peaceful transition of power. He called on the Common Forum opposition coalition to “end the crisis through calling off protests and removing roadblocks”, in a meeting with representatives from the province of Taiz. “We are ready to discuss a peaceful transition of power through constitutional ways,” he added. The two dead were among around 10 people hit by bullets in the violence in Taiz, south of the capital, where many were suffering from the effects of tear gas, a doctor said. He put the number of wounded at over 100. Protests inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia have brought Saleh's rule to the verge of collapse. But the president, a perennial survivor, called on Sunday for an end to the violence, signaling he has no intention of resigning soon. His ruling party also said it had not received a proposed transition plan from opposition parties that envisages Saleh handing power to a vice president while steps are taken towards creating a national unity government and calling new elections. “We haven't got it yet,” an official said. The United States has talked openly of its concern about who might succeed Saleh, a man it views as an ally. Opposition groups stepped up action against Saleh in the port city of Aden, seat of a separatist movement by southerners who say the 1994 unification of South Yemen with Saleh's north has left them marginalized. Thousands have camped out around Sana'a University since early February, but in the past two weeks Saleh has begun mobilizing thousands of his own supporters on the streets. On Saturday, seven protesters were wounded in the Western port of Hudaida when riot police used batons and tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Protesters said police fired live rounds and tear gas on Sunday to disperse them in Taiz. One soldier was killed and three wounded in a clash on Sunday with armed men at a military checkpoint in Milah in the southern Lahej province, a local official said, blaming southern separatists. A police colonel and two companions were wounded when men opened fire on their convoy in the southern Dalea province, another official said. He did not say who he believed was responsible.
