Yemen: Saleh 'recovering from surgery in Saudi Arabia'

He was flown to the country on a Saudi medical flight on Saturday, a day after being wounded in an attack on his presidential compound in Sanaa.

Thousands of people in Yemen have been celebrating his departure after weeks of anti-government protests.

It remains unclear whether Mr Saleh will return to Yemen.

There were reports he would remain in Saudi Arabia for two weeks; one week to recover and another for meetings, but it was not known what he planned to do after that.

Yemen's deputy information minister, Abdu al-Janadi, said Mr Saleh would be returning.

"Saleh is in good health, and he may give up the authority one day but it has to be in a constitutional way," he said.

Power struggle

Mr Saleh underwent two successful operations on Sunday on his chest and neck, Saudi officials said, suggesting he would seek to return to Sanaa after convalescing.

But even if President Saleh wants to return, it is unlikely Saudi Arabia will allow him, BBC Middle East correspondent Jon Leyne says.

Yemeni Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has replaced Mr Saleh in his absence, and is in command of the armed forces and security services; Kazinform cites BBC News.

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