US embassy cable - 03SANAA2800

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 002800 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2013 
TAGS: PTER, MARR, PREL, YM, UN, COUNTER TERRORISM, MARITIME SECURITY 
SUBJECT: UN COMMITTEE ON ARMS SMUGGLING TO SOMALIA; YEMEN'S 
ROLE 
 
REF: SANAA 2618 
 
Classified By: Charge D'Affaires Alan G. Misenheimer 
for reasons 1.5 (b and d) 
 
 1.  (c) Summary:  The UN Committee of Experts presented 
highlights of its  "Report of the Panel of Experts on Somalia 
pursuant to SCR 1474" (2003) to members of the Diplomatic 
Corps in Yemen on November 16.  A number of Ambassadors or 
Deputy Chiefs of Mission from western countries, including 
the UK, Germany and France, as well as African states, 
including Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia attended; Pol/Econ 
Chief represented the Embassy.  The discussion focused mainly 
on Yemen's role as a supplier and transporter of arms.  The 
Committee also reported on an earlier meetings with ROYG 
officials, including FM Qirbi, representatives of the 
ministries of interior, Defense and Transportation, and 
"military intelligence," noting that the response from the 
ROYG was positive, but that more needs to be done.   In 
addition to general agreement that information sharing is 
important, several key points were made in both sets of 
meetings:  the amount of arms in Yemen must be reduced; the 
ROYG is aware of the illegal export of arms via sea routes 
and plans to increase licensing of arms and 
registering/monitoring of vessels; and Yemen has requested 
assistance from the international community in increase its 
capacity to track and to stop smugglers.  End summary. 
 
2. (c) Prior to briefing the Diplomatic Corps, the Committee 
met with ROYG officials, including Foreign Minister Qirbi, 
and the vice ministers of Interior, Defense and 
Transportation and representatives from "military 
intelligence" to discuss the expert report.  Per the 
Committee, FM Qirbi promised cooperation on the Somalia arms 
embargo/arms smuggling issue, but expressed reservations 
about the report and Yemen's role in the problem, stressing 
the country's lack of capabilities, particularly for 
controlling its maritime borders.  The ROYG is aware of the 
illegal export of arms, which Yemeni officials said need to 
be addressed by the international community and will be 
helped by the establishment of a fully functioning radar 
system to help track smugglers.  According to a Committee 
representative, the Commander of the Yemeni Coast Guard (YCG) 
explained that the YCG is new and has only been developed 
over the last year. 
 
3. (c) A Committee member identified the major issue for 
Yemen as the quantity of arms in the country, which the 
Committee was told would be addressed by licensing and 
increased efforts to stop arms from entering Yemen and 
increasing  the capacity of the YCG to monitor its maritime 
borders.  He added that on tracking the movement of boats, 
the ROYG said it is working on registering boats (see 
above-cited report, paragraph 90, regarding information on 4 
vessels registered in Mukullah involved in Yemen-Somalia arms 
smuggling), including working with Yemeni fishermen in the 
south.  The Committee said that overall the response from the 
ROYG was positive, but the conclusion was that there was a 
lot to be done and more information sharing is needed. 
 
4. (c) The German Ambassador noted problems with the gun 
control legislation (it was tabled during last Parliamentary 
session, had to be re-introduced following the April 2003 
elections, and shows no sign of movement toward passage) and 
agreed that both an overall reduction in arms and the 
registration of weapons are necessary.  The Committee agreed 
that encouraging the ROYG to implement gun control 
legislation is important, but said it had not heard much 
about the substance of the draft law. 
 
5. (c) British Ambassador criticized the Committee's 
contention that its existence and visit to Yemen would deter 
arms smuggling.  She said that the 4-5 key arms dealers in 
Yemen are not likely to stop because an expert panel asks 
questions.  A Committee member responded that the UNSC's 
attention, including expert panels and their reports, to this 
issue should help deter embargo violations.  (Comment: The 
response was met with considerable skepticism by the 
audience.  End comment) 
 
6. (c) There were several general questions about how to help 
Yemen support the arms embargo against Somalia.  The 
Committee noted that on-going dialogue, cooperation among 
countries in the region, the Intergovernmental Authority on 
Development (IGAD), the Arab League and African Union is 
needed.  It also emphasized the need for stability in the 
region and problems with gaining access to Somalia's 
territorial waters because there is currently no recognized 
government. 
 
7. (c) After the briefing, the German expert told Pol/Econ 
Chief that when the Committee met with both Brigadier General 
Robeson and the Italian commander of the Red Sea fleet and it 
was told that the security/CT mandate of the fleet does not 
extend to interdiction of arms smuggling, which is largely 
done via smaller boats staying within territorial waters.  It 
was informed that the fleet does not have the type of boats 
needed to conduct such close surveillance, and to expect a 
reduction in the number of ships available for patrols (see 
also report, paragraphs 86-87).  The expert also noted that 
ROYG officials did not respond to requests for information 
about the weapons used in the November 2002 al-Qaida attacks 
in Mombassa (see report, box on pages 29-30, for more details 
on the source of the weapons used in the attacks). 
 
8. (c) Comment: Unlike earlier reporting on official 
rejection of the use of Yemen's airports for smuggling (ref 
a), the ROYG does not deny that there is arms smuggling from 
Yemen to Somalia via sea routes.  Standing up of the Yemeni 
Coast Guard, including the anticipated delivery of four 
reconditioned EDA patrol boats from the U.S. in January 2004, 
is an important step toward increasing Yemen's capacity to 
provide maritime security.  The long-anticipated gun control 
law faces serious political opposition from tribal leaders 
who see it as an attempt to limit their influence and power. 
Even if such a law is passed, implementation in regions 
outside the capital is likely to be extremely difficult.  End 
comment. 
 
9. (U) MINIMIZE CONSIDERED 
MISENHEIMER