Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday to attend a signing ceremony for a proposal aimed at ending his country's months-long political crisis, a Yemeni official said. Once Saleh signs the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative, executive powers will be transferred to Vice President Abdo Rabu Mansour Hadi "effective immediately," Mohammed Albasha, a spokesman for Yemen's embassy in Washington, said in a statement. "This monumental agreement will hopefully bring an end to the 10-month long turmoil in the homeland," Albasha said. Saleh will remain permanently in Saudi Arabia after he signs the deal, a presidential source said. Another Yemeni government official said it was unclear what Saleh would do after signing. "Everything's unpredictable with Saleh. He's due for some health checkups," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. "At least for the period now, it makes sense he would stay in Saudi for some time." Last week, Saleh told France 24 television that he would leave office "within 90 days" of an agreement with the council. The proposed GCC-brokered accord, which is backed by the United States and the European Union, would allow Saleh to resign from power in exchange for immunity from prosecution. But the agreement also allows Saleh to retain his title as Yemen's president for 90 days, until elections are held, according to a Western diplomat in Yemen. Members of the opposition will be present at the signing, officials said. "The opposition will be heading to Riyadh today," said Sakhr Wajeeh, a senior opposition official. "We hope that our trip will be the last and the beginning of regime change." Saleh has appeared several times to be on the verge of agreeing to hand over power, only to change course. But he insisted in the interview with France 24 he had no desire to "hang on to power." "I know the difficulties, the negatives, the positives; I will not hang on to power. Whoever hangs on to power I think is crazy," he said. Clashes erupted in Yemen's capital of Sanaa Wednesday, just hours after Saleh and opposition leaders headed to Saudi Arabia. The fighting between government forces and tribal fighters began after government forces attacked opposition posts, several witnesses in the area said. Yemen has been the scene of violent protests for months as Saleh's opponents demanded he leave power after 33 years in office. Government troops have responded with live fire on protesters, killing many, according to medics and opposition sources. On Saturday, 400 troops defected from the Yemeni military, saying they would no longer attack unarmed protesters. Saleh was wounded in an attack on his compound earlier this year and spent weeks in Saudi Arabia being treated for burns. International powers, including the United States, have urged him to step down. United Nations envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar said Wednesday that more work needs to be done after the power transfer agreement is signed. "The transitional government will be responsible for rebuilding the economy and will undergo dialogue with the youth movements to ensure their support and participation in the political arena," he said.