The Yemeni parliament on Saturday approved a law granting outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution, the state news agency SABA reported. With this approval, the law goes into effect immediately. The parliament also endorsed Saleh's deputy, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, as nominee in the presidential election set for February 21. Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa, a former opposition leader, told parliament that "the country is facing dangers of dismemberment and fragmentation". "Help this country overcome these dangers and avoid turning it into another Somalia or Afghanistan", he added. Under recent amendments introduced to the draft, Saleh is to get full immunity while his aides are to be prosecuted for potential criminal offences, according to SABA.
