Gulf Cooperation Council's Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani said the initiative presented by GCC remained "unchanged" and that the ruling party and the opposition were submitting names of people to sign the agreement. "No changes whatsoever," have been made to the proposal, he told reporters following a GCC finance ministers' meeting in Abu Dhabi.
"We have just explained it and added the names of the people who will be signing the agreement," he said.
"I am very optimistic with the approach," he said, dodging a question about whether Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh himself would sign the agreement, after stalling the initiative by refusing to sign in his capacity as a president.
He had reportedly insisted on endorsing the agreement as the chief of the ruling General People's Party and not as Yemeni president. The Common Forum parliamentary opposition has rejected Saleh's position.
Both sides said Friday that the GCC chief has requested each to present a list of 15 people to sign the agreement in Sanaa.
The ruling General People's Congress said it has presented the list, including its deputy secretary general, Abdulkarim al-Aryani, while the Common Forum said it was preparing its list.
However, representatives of protesters crowding the squares of Yemen's main cities have rejected the initiative since it was announced last month, insisting on the immediate departure of Saleh, and on putting him and his aides on trial.
Around 150 people have been killed since protests demanding the ouster of Saleh started in late January.
The GCC plan proposes the formation of a government of national unity, Saleh transferring power to his vice president, and resigning after 30 days, a day after the parliament would pass a law granting him and his aides immunity.
Last week, Zayani travelled to Sanaa to invite members of the government and the opposition to sign the transition plan in Riyadh and to obtain the president's signature.
However, Zayani left empty-handed after Saleh, in power for 32 years, refused to sign.
"I am optimistic about the initiative because there are reasonable people on all sides. God willing, all sides will do what is good for Yemen and its stability," said Zayani on Saturday.
But it was not clear when the GCC chief will travel again to Sanaa to discuss the proposal.
"If they ask to go to Yemen now, I'd go ... The day the (disputing) parties reach an agreement will be a jubilation day," he added.
"The heads of states in the GCC are concerned. They want to help the Yemeni people to maintain security and save lives," he said.
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