SANAA (AFP) - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called for a truce hours after returning from a three-month stay in Saudi Arabia to Sanaa, which has been rocked by ferocious fighting between his forces and dissident troops. The United States, meanwhile, called for a "full power transfer" and urged the veteran leader to step down. Saleh's surprise return from Riyadh, where he had been recovering from a June 3 bomb attack on his Sanaa compound, was celebrated by tens of thousands of supporters gathered at Sanaa's Sabiin Square, near his palace, for the weekly Muslim Friday prayers. The 69-year-old Saleh, who has since January faced massive street protests demanding he step down, did not make an appearance at the prayers, as was his custom before the attack. "The people love Ali Abdullah Saleh. The people want you Ali Abdullah Saleh," his supporters chanted, while also praying for the dead. The coffins of 21 soldiers were lined up, witnesses said. But it was unclear when the soldiers had died. According to a tally by medics and tribal sources, 107 people have died in this week's clashes between rival army units backed by tribal forces and in attacks by Saleh's forces on anti-regime demonstrators. At Sittin Road north of Sabiin Square anti-Saleh protesters, attending a funeral of 40 people killed in the violence, vowed to bring the leader to trial. "The people want to bring the slaughterer to justice," they chanted. "We thank Saudi Arabia for returning Ali to us so we can bring him to trial inside the country," said one activist, Mohammed al-Asal. A presidency official said that Saleh had on his return urged an end to violence. "The president calls on all political and military parties to achieve a truce and a ceasefire," the official said. For Saleh, "there is no alternative to dialogue and negotiations to end the bloodshed and resolve the crisis," he added. The spokesman for the ruling General People's Congress party, Tariq al-Shami, told AFP that "no public appearance or political activity" had been scheduled for Saleh so far. "People today are celebrating his return," he said. State news agency Saba said the president was to make "an important speech to mark the 49th anniversary" of the September 26, 1962 revolution which brought down the imamate, a form of clerical rule, and saw Yemen proclaimed a republic. Traditionally the president makes his speech on the eve of the anniversary but Saba did not specify when he would deliver it this year. Saleh's return came as his forces Friday fought dissidents loyal to General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar in central Sanaa and in Change Square, epicentre of protests, for a sixth straight day. Fighting which had died down after the prayers, erupted again across the capital, including the centre, later Friday. Gunfire and explosions were also heard in Al-Hasaba, the scene of deadly battles Thursday, residents said. Tribal sources said Saleh's forces were bombarding the district with mortars. An Ahmar tribal source said 10 people were killed in Al-Hasaba, while medics reported two people killed by a shell in Change Square. Most of the fighting since Sunday has been in the centre of Sanaa, pitting Republican Guard troops commanded by Saleh's son Ahmed against General Ahmar's dissidents, protecting protesters since March. The White House urged Saleh Friday to begin a "full transfer of power," hours after his return, spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. "Whether president Saleh is in or out of the country, he can make this happen (by) stepping down from power and allowing for the country to move on," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement. A senior Saudi official told AFP that Saleh had returned to put his house "in order" and "prepare for elections." The official added that Saleh will "leave" after this, without specifying whether he would leave power or leave Yemen altogether. Saleh on September 12 authorised his deputy to negotiate a power transfer as part of a Gulf Cooperation Council initiative to end the political stalemate. The latest bloodletting has stalled the peace deal. GCC chief Abdullatif al-Zayani, who had been hoping earlier in the week to persuade all sides to sign on to the pact, left Yemen empty-handed on Wednesday. He is expected in New York on Friday to discuss the crisis with GCC foreign ministers and international diplomats gathered for the annual UN General Assembly, a Yemeni diplomat said. The soaring violence has raised long-standing fears that Yemen, which faces a Shiite rebellion in the north and a separatist movement as well as the growing influence of Al-Qaeda in the south, is heading for full-blown civil war. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay warned Thursday that Yemen was at a "dangerous crossroad."