Foreign Diplomats Surrounded by Gunmen in Yemen

Gunmen said to be loyal to Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh have surrounded the Emirates embassy in Sanaa.   Inside a group of foreign diplomats have convened awaiting a decision from Saleh whether he will accept a deal they proposed to leave office within 30-days.  The group includes diplomats from the EU, Britain and the US.

A  ...diplomat said men armed with knives, daggers and swords were seen roaming the streets outside the UAE embassy.

"Everybody is worried; we can't leave the embassy ," said the diplomat.

Mr Saleh's militiamen have increasingly been seen around the capital, and hundreds have cut off the road to the presidential palace.

Update - TorStar is reporting the diplomats were rescued from the embassy by Yemeni army helicopters.   Saleh is said to have rejected the peace overture.