Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Wednesday that opposition powers' demands for him to leave power was an imitation of popular revolts abroad, DPA reported.
"They don't have a culture of their own," Saleh said in a televised address, referring to his opponents.
He accused the country's opposition of using young people as human shields in anti-government protests to "attract media and to say that Saleh's regime is autocratic."
Millions of Yemenis have taken to the streets since February demanding an end to Saleh' 33-year rule.
"In the beginning, they wanted to uproot Saleh's family. Now, they want to uproot the whole regime," Saleh said.
"Where do they want me to go? It is here in this country where I was born, grew up, became a soldier and came to power," he told his ruling party.
On Wednesday, thousands of Yemenis participated in funerals for around 30 people reportedly killed in attacks by government forces and Saleh loyalists over the past two days.
At least 1,480 people had been killed in clashes between Saleh's supporters and opponents from February until September, according to government figures.
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