Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday to attend a signing ceremony for a Gulf Cooperation Council proposal aimed at ending Yemen's months-long political crisis, a Yemeni official said.

Once Saleh signs the agreement, 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.