The 'Arab Spring', which continues its rattling campaign in the Middle East and North African regions, may have finally triumphed in Yemen as its president abandoned all defiance and agreed to a deal that would pave the way for his gradual exit from power.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Wednesday that he had accepted the arrangements brokered by the United Nations and leaders of neighbouring Gulf countries, possibly putting an end to months of fighting in the country that commenced in January.

As Arab protesters took to the streets and demanded radical reforms from their long-serving regimes, authoritarian governments responded with extreme force and sparked revolutions that so far resulted to the ouster of infamous leaders.

In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign in March and currently faces corruption and criminal chargesm, while Libya's Muammar Gaddafi was driven out of the nation's capital, Libya before being killed in October by revolutionary fighters.

Both Arab leaders served for decades before protesters rose up to challenge their rules and accused them of criminal acts and corruption.

On his part, Mr Saleh attempted to preserve his rule by resorting to military might, only fuelling armed attacks in the Yemeni capital that almost killed him in June.

Months after his recovery, the beleaguered Yemeni leader finally acceded to the exit plan, mostly negotiated by his premier envoy, Jamal Benomar, with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, paving the way for the ascension of Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi to power.

The deal also assured that Mr Saleh will be acknowledged as honorary president for three more months and will be free from prospects of prosecution, a proposition that immediately sparked howls of protest from leaders of the opposition.

"We welcome partnership with the opposition to manage the country's affairs and rebuild what the crisis has destroyed," Mr Saleh was reported by the Agence France Presse (AFP) as saying in announcing his decision to embrace the exit plan.

In a reaction, Mr Ban said that he was happy to learn that Mr Saleh had decided to heed his call of accepting the terms of the deal and assured the Yemeni leader that he was "encouraged by the positive development of the situation in Yemen."

"As the secretary general of the United Nations I will do my best to mobilise the necessary resources and support ... so that peace and stability and democratic order will be restored in Yemen," the UN chief stressed.

Also, the UN has indicated that Saleh would want to seek further medical treatments once the peace deal has been finalised, with Mr Ban hinting that Mr Saleh is welcome to travel in New York.

However, the Yemeni unrests appear to be far from being concluded as AFP reported on Wednesday that youth protesters are planning to return on the streets to demand for the revocation of immunity offered to Mr Saleh by the UN-led peace deal.

Leaders of the protesters claimed that the agreement ignored most of the people's demands and pressed for Mr Saleh's quick departure from the presidency.