Yemen 'safe' for return of Americans

President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen has told the American Assistant Secretary of State, William Burns, that Yemen is safe for the return of American security officials investigating the bomb attack on the destroyer USS Cole in Aden harbour last year.

The two men met in San'a to discuss the attack, in which 17 American sailors were killed.

The Americans had withdrawn their investigators last month after a warning of a possible new attack.

A Yemeni official said that President Saleh had also told Mr Burns that Yemen was eager to begin the trial of eight suspects now under arrest in connection with the attack.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service