World Bulletin/News Desk

The United States has delivered an ultimatum to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave Yemen by Friday or face United Nations sanctions, an official in his office said on Wednesday, calling on supporters to resist the move.

The United States on Thursday denied delivering any threats to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh over what Washington suspects is his role in destabilising the Western-allied country.

"The GPC statements about threats to Saleh from the U.S. are untrue," the State Department said in a statement. "There have been no meetings between the ambassador and GPC officials at which any such statements have been made."

The GPC official said Washington had delivered an ultimatum for him to leave or face sanctions that the U.N Security Council is expected to impose on him in line with requests by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the U.S. State Department.

The United States last week requested the U.N. Security Council impose an asset freeze and global travel ban on Saleh and two Houthi rebel leaders for threatening the peace and stability of Yemen and obstructing the political process.

"An ultimatum has been given...by the U.S. ambassador, Matthew Tueller, through mediators, for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave Yemen before five o'clock next Friday," an official source in Saleh's office said in a statement.

"Otherwise, there will be sanctions issued against him based on a request by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the U.S. State department to the U.N. Security Council," the source added in the statement distributed to journalists.

The U.S. sanctions request stated that since he stepped down in 2012 following widespread protests, Saleh "reportedly become one of the primary supporters of the Houthi rebellion" and that he was behind attempts to cause chaos throughout Yemen.

Saleh's office said it regarded the ultimatum as an unacceptable intervention in Yemen's internal affairs.

"The source urged members of the General People's Congress and its allies and the masses of the Yemeni people to be alert and to prepare to confront all possibilities that threaten the security and stability and unity of Yemen," it said.