CRI听力:Yemen Thrown into Turmoil as President Resigns

Yemen's President has offered to resign amid a standoff with the powerful Shiite Houthi militia in control of the capital.

Abd-rabuh Mansur Hadi says he has reached a "deadlock" in talks with the rebels, after being pressured to make further concessions.

Prime Minister Khalid Bahah has also tendered his resignation.

However, Yemen's parliament has reportedly rejected Hadi's resignation and decided to call an extraordinary session today.

Monitoring the situation from Cairo, Egyptian political analyst Shady Ghazaly Harb warns that the situation in Yemen will have consequences for the whole region.

"Of course this will have a great effect on the neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia. And Saudi Arabia is in a very vulnerable stage now, with a probable transition of power happening in the near future. So, with Iran in the east and Houthis in the south, this is not a comfortable situation for Saudi Arabia, and of course affecting Saudi Arabia affects the whole region, affects the Gulf area, affects Emirates and in turn affects Egypt as well."

The shock announcements by the two Yemeni leaders come after the Huthis tightened control in Sanaa this week after seizing almost full control of the capital in September.

Hadi, regarded as an important US ally in fighting Al-Qaeda, initially agreed on Wednesday to a power-sharing deal that extended the Houthis' control over Yemen.

But government officials accused the insurgents of failing to uphold their side of the agreement, refusing to pull back from positions surrounding the presidential palace and residence.

The potential fall of Yemen's government has raised fears that the country's dangerous al-Qaida branch, which claimed responsibility for the recent attack on a French newspaper, will only grow more powerful.