Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said today he could form a national unity government in an attempt to quell rising secessionist sentiments in the southern part of the country, according to dpa. "A government could be formed from all influential political forces represented in the parliament," Saleh said in a televised speech to the nation marking the 20th anniversary of the reunification of North and South Yemen. Saleh's GPC party has been ruling in a majority government formed after the party won a landslide victory in the 2003 legislative elections. "We welcome a national partnership with all political forces in light of the constitution and law and within the framework of a collective agreement," he added. He also called on opposition parties to get involved in a dialogue with his ruling GPC party in preparation for holding parliamentary elections in April 2011. "We call upon all political parties and organizations and citizens inside and outside the homeland to carry out a responsible national dialogue within the framework of our constitutional institutions without preconditions or obstacles," Saleh said. North and South Yemen were united in 1990. The aim of the dialogue, the Yemeni leader said, should be "the construction of Yemen," and "bolstering the build up of the state of law and order."
