- Saleh has been in Saudi Arabia recovering from injuries
- Officials say he will return on Friday
- Opposition leaders say it is a false rumor
(CNN) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is being treated in Saudi Arabia after an attack on his compound, will return to Yemen on Friday, senior adviser Ahmed Al-Soufi told CNN.
The country's ruling GPC party said that the president will be received by celebrations, but the return will likely be unwelcomed by anti-government demonstrators throughout the country.
The protesters are demanding that Saleh leave office, and there were celebrations in the streets when he left for treatment.
"Saleh's arrival back to Yemen is not a surprise, we said all along that he is travelling for medical treatment and like any other president in the world, is expected to be back to his country and continue with the role of leadership," said Yasser al-Yamani, a senior Saleh aide.
Al-Soufi said that Saudi doctors have given Saleh the green light to return to his country.
"When he is back, he will rule as normal and the country will continue to be under his control. Saleh will return strong and the will of the people will stand against any other will," he said.
Saleh will rule until the end of his term in 2013, Al-Soufi added.
Opposition leaders called news of Saleh's return false rumors.
"The ruling party are experts in lying and that is why we are not taking their comments seriously," said Hasan Zaid of the opposition Haq party.
Government forces have been locked in conflict with al Qaeda's Yemen wing, and authorities fear that the group, called al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, is exploiting the country's political instability. It has a strong presence in southern Yemen.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report.
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_world/~3/SH4QWHPO480/index.html
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