(05-22) 04:00 PDT Sanaa, Yemen --

Yemen's president said Saturday he will sign a proposal by Gulf Arab mediators for him to step down after 32 years in power, but he condemned the deal as a coup and warned al Qaeda will take control of the country.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has clung to power despite more than three months of daily protests and defections by military commanders and other allies, has pledged before to sign the deal only to back down at the last minute.

On Saturday, he said, "we accept the initiative to stop bloodshed," and an official statement said he would sign the deal today.

Representatives of Yemen's opposition political parties, who have supported the deal for weeks, signed it on Saturday in the presence of U.S. and European Union ambassadors, said a Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The opposition refused to comment before making an official announcement today.

The proposal by Gulf Arab nations, first put forward in March, would give Saleh 30 days to step down. A national unity government led by the opposition would be formed within a week and would include representatives of the ruling party. Parliament would grant Saleh legal immunity just before he leaves office and presidential elections would be held a month later.

Seeking to win some support in the West for his continued rule, Saleh has warned several times that without him, al Qaeda would take control of the country.

The United States, which had supported Saleh with financial aid and military equipment to fight the country's dangerous al Qaeda branch, has backed away from the embattled leader.

A big question hanging over the proposal is whether it will end the street protests by youth movements and others who say the opposition parties taking part in the talks to end the crisis do not represent them. They also object to Saleh being shielded from prosecution.