Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has officially stepped down, signed over a transfer of power agreement and landed himself a nice deal in the process--possibly avoiding the fate of overthrown Arab dictators before him. The images of Qadaffi and Hussein in their last days were brutal and unnerving and by signing a transfer of power deal, Saleh has probably avoided a similar fate. Like the transfer of power deal in which the Egyptian cabinet just brokered, or the previous three deals Saleh has backed out of, there's a requisite timeframe, "The plan calls for a power transfer to Saleh’s vice president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, within 30 days and early presidential elections within 90 days of the signing. It also calls for a two-year transition period," reports the AP. But unlike Egypt or the  Qadaffi or Hussein scenarios, Saleh has immunity from prosecution, adds the AP.   And Saleh is getting medical benefits too in this severance, as Reuters is reporting that "Saleh has told U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon he will come to New York for medical treatment immediately after signing a deal that would ease him out of power." 

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Alexander Abad-Santos