"Al Jazeera": Yemeni President will resign then leave for the US for treatment purposes.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni President, has made a surprise visit to the Saudi capital to sign a long-awaited power transfer deal. After 33 years in power, and months of unrest, Yemen's president Ali Abdullah Saleh has finally agreed to step down.

It was brokered by the six-member Gulf Co-operation Council. But Saleh has backed out of stepping down three times before.

The response in Yemen has been a mixed, with protesters remaining camped in Change Square, where they have gathered since February. Some were jubilant, while others expressed anger and called for the president to face prosecution. Ordinary Yemenis say they are willing to endure hardship until they achieve their political goal.

The deal signed on Wednesday, will see Saleh leave office in 30 days, making way for Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, the Yemeni vice-president, to negotiate a power transfer with the opposition in return for a promise of immunity from prosecution. After his resignation Saleh will leave for the US for treatment purposes.