President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen has postponed a planned visit to Washington amid growing calls for his removal from power.
The official Yemeni news agency says the visit has been delayed due to current developments in the region.
Earlier, pro-democracy protesters clashed with security forces in the capital, Sanaa.
Reports say several were wounded and dozens were detained by the police. Supporters of the president also turned up.
Human Rights Watch has accused the government of colluding with thugs to suppress the protests.
Sporadic demonstrations have increased in Yemen, since the demonstrations in Egypt and Tunisia.
President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt stepped down on Friday after 18 days of mass protests.
Mr Saleh is preparing to hold talks with opposition groups on possible political reforms, in an attempt to prevent his overthrow in the manner of Egypt and Tunisia.
The president, who has been in power since 1978, has already pledged to step down in 2013. But the BBC reports he has previously promised to quit and not done so.
Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world. It also faces a separatist movement in the south and an uprising of Shia rebels in the north.
