US embassy cable - 03SANAA2618

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 002618 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2013 
TAGS: PTER, MARR, PREL, SU, YM, EH, UN, COUNTER TERRORISM 
SUBJECT: POSSIBLE ARMS SMUGGLING FROM YEMEN TO SOMALIA 
 
REF: SANAA 1814 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edmund J. Hull, for Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (c) Summary/Comment:  During his mid-September 2003 visit 
to Yemen, Dr. John Tambi, from United Nation's Panel of 
Experts on Somalia (UNPES) stated that UNPES was looking into 
the possible use of Yemeni airports to smuggle weapons from 
Yemen to Somalia.  Given the prevalence of arms dealing 
in-country, Post believes that information provided by Tambi 
is plausible, but has not independently verified the 
information.  End Summary/Comment. 
 
2. (c) Dr. John Tambi, a member of the UNPES, told 
Pol/econoff during a September 14 meeting that UNPES is 
investigating possible arms smuggling from Yemen to Somalia. 
Tambi is the civil aviation expert on the panel, other UNPES 
members include boats and arms experts.  Tambi visited Yemen 
to look into air traffic that may be currently used to 
smuggle arms from Yemen to Somalia. 
 
3. (c) UNPES is investigating the possible involvement of 
United Arab Emirates-based flights in smuggling arms to 
Somalia during re-fueling stops at Riyan airport in the 
southern region of Mukallah.  Note:  Tambi actually was not 
certain of the name of the airport, but provided and old 
airport code that post was able to identify as Riyan.  End 
note.  Tambi explained that the re-fueling stops in Yemen 
seem unnecessary and last longer than the usual time needed 
for re-fueling, leading UNPES to speculate that such flights 
may be being loaded with weapons in Riyan.  The final 
destination of these flights are airports in Somalia 
allegedly controlled by warlords.  After unloading their 
cargo in Somalia, Tambi said the flights return a small 
airport in Sharja, UAE,  without making a re-fueling stop in 
Yemen. 
 
4. (c) Tambi's meetings  to  discuss UNPES concerns that 
Yemeni weapons are being smuggled to war-torn Somalia 
included ROYG officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
and the Ministry of Defense.  According to Tambi, all the 
ROYG officials he met rejected the notion that Yemeni 
airports were used in any smuggling activities into Somalia. 
UNPES plans to continue its investigation and will present 
any findings to the ROYG.  Tambi requested that Embassy 
Sana'a provide UNPES with any information related to their 
ongoing investigation. 
 
5. (U) Khartoum Minimize Considered. 
 
HULL