SANA'A, April 23 (Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Saturday that the opposition joint meeting parties (JMPs) want to bring the country into a civil war.

"We refuse to be dragged into a civil war, which will not be in the interest of Yemen nor in the interest of the region", said President Saleh.

This came in his a speech in front of leaders ,officers and students of military and security academies, in which he talked over the situation and the developments at the national arena.

He pointed out that this situation started since 2006 and has evolved slowly with the JMPs, who lost the elections in 2006.

"They know their size and their number at the university neighborhood, just as they knew their size in the 2006 elections", said Saleh.

About those ,who have resigned from the ruling General People's Congress (GPC) and joined the youth revolution ,Saleh pointed that they could not withstand because they have no agenda or programs, and most of them were symbols of corruption.

"Their culture is looting of money and property of the nation, and now they claim purity", he added.

He reiterated his call for the nonpartisan youth to form a political party, confirming his readiness to understand their demands within the framework of the Constitution and law.

"We are interested in youth and in addressing their issues", said President Saleh adding that what is happening now is an imitation of what happened in Tunisia and Egypt.

He noted that there is a vast difference between Yemen and these countries, saying " We have political pluralism, democracy, press freedom, and respect for human rights."

In his speech , the president referred to the incitement for subversion launched by one of the JMPs' leaders in a television interview, who incited youth to march to Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Oil and banks and loot them.

"We will leave the power through the ballot box and not through coup", President Saleh affirmed.

He added that those who want power, they should be brave and call for early elections, whether presidential or parliamentary elections.

"We are confident that all types of plots will crash on the rock of the awareness of our great people and military and security institutions ", he said.

Concluding his speech, the president greeted all honest leaders and personnel of the military and security institutions and all loyal sons of Yemeni people.

BA