US embassy cable - 04SANAA358

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SANAA 000358 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/EX, S/CT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2014 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, PREL, COUNTER TERRORISM 
SUBJECT: COUNTERTERRORISM ACTION GROUP -- 10 FEBRUARY 
MISSIONS' MEETING IN SANA'A, YEMEN 
 
REF: SECSTATE 14279 
 
1. (U) Summary:  On 10 February 2004, the Ambassador hosted a 
meeting of the G-8 Counterterrorism Action Group (CTAG) local 
mission representatives at the Residence to discuss and 
coordinate member-nations' ongoing counterterrorism training 
and assistance efforts with the Republic of Yemen government 
(ROYG).  Although there was great variance from country to 
country in the level of support and training, all members 
agreed that more needed to be done to bolster the ROYG's CT 
capabilities.  For follow-up among members, The Ambassador 
noted the need for a coordination meeting for support to the 
Yemeni Coast Guard (YCG) and a future meeting with Minister 
of Interior Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi to discuss escorted travel, 
travel advisories and bureaucratic requirements for tourists. 
 Attendees included the ambassadors of France, Germany, 
Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan and the 
Deputy Chief of Mission of the Russian Federation.  Action 
Recommended:  Strong support for EU funding for CT in Yemen 
pursuant to request from European Ambssadors. (Para 13) End 
summary. 
 
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The CTAG 
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2. (U) The Ambassador opened the meeting by reviewing the 
purpose of the CTAG and informing the members that a 
capital-level CTAG meeting would be occurring in Washington 
later in the month.  The Department had asked the Embassy to 
solicit mission-level input from other G-8 members for this 
20 February meeting in order to provide focus based on 
combined assessments.  The Ambassador proposed a round-table 
format where each member representative would discuss his 
country's security cooperation with the ROYG, explain 
assistance programs and identify outstanding needs.  The 
Ambassador then briefed members on ROYG Foreign Minister 
Qirbi's recent visit to Washington and the positive response 
he received. 
 
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USG CT Assistance 
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3. (U) In briefly describing the Embassy's CT programs, the 
Ambassador told members that the first tranche of US-supplied 
Coast Guard boats would arrive on 14 February and likely 
become operational in mid-March.  The Embassy also intended 
to soon begin work with appropriate ROYG security forces to 
counter the movement of weapons, WMD or unauthorized 
personnel across the borders.  The Embassy had a program to 
work with police or other law enforcement personnel to 
provide training in anti-riot and community policing 
techniques.  Finally, the Embassy would continue its training 
of ROYG military forces, to include the Central Security 
Force (CSF), Special Forces, the Yemeni Coast Guard and the 
Navy. 
 
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French CT Assistance 
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4. (U) The French Ambassador informed members of an 
early-March 2004 CG training assessment team that would 
conduct a survey as a prelude to further assistance.  He 
added that a French Ministry of Interior (MOI) team would 
also arrive in that same period to conduct a similar survey 
among police units.  This survey was the first step in a 
5-year program budgeted for 2.5 million euros.  The French 
wished to extend training from police units to the ROYG 
judiciary, with emphasis on the principle of "the rule of 
law."  The French Ambassador expected that his Police Attach 
would arrive in April or May 2004. 
 
5. (U) Concerning security assistance, He further explained 
that the French Embassy was in an "identification phase" and 
not yet operational.  The French Ambassador expressed a 
desire to mobilize the European Union (EU) to engage them as 
a body to provide training and funding to the ROYG's CT 
efforts.  He suggested that costs would be minimal and that 
the model of EU support for the Palestinian Authority could 
be used as precedent, which received support from all 
attendees.  He suggested, and the Ambassador agreed, that the 
U.S. could also assist in this matter at higher levels. 
 
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British CT Assistance 
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6. (U) The British Ambassador said that ongoing training 
assistance (joint with American troops) to the CSF would 
continue.  Concerning the CG, in early February 2004 a marine 
engineering delegation made a 2-week visit to conduct a 
survey.  The Royal National Lifeboat Institute would be 
conducting a survey in the near term.  The British Embassy 
would also be sponsoring a visit by Judge Hamud Al-Hitar to 
the U.K. on 25 February to discuss the issue of creating a 
dialogue between government and Islamists.  (Note:  Hitar is 
the primary judicial representative involved in the ROYG's 
periodic release of detained extremists.  End note.)  The 
British Embassy has a program to work with members of the 
Political Security Organization (PSO) to promote methods of 
interrogation that increased efficiency without any use of 
torture. 
 
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Italian CT Assistance 
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7. (U) The Italian Ambassador briefed members that the 
technical issues surrounding Italian-supplied coastal radar 
systems had been resolved and installation of the system 
would begin in late 2004.  The system is sophisticated and 
establishes linkages between local units and a central Sana'a 
station to complete coverage of all maritime traffic in the 
Bab Al-Mendab region.  The Italian embassy was also pushing 
forward a draft cooperation agreement on international crime 
and terrorism, which the Italian Ambassador said was soon to 
be signed.  The draft proposed formalizing a exchange of 
information at the MOI level between the two countries. 
 
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Japanese CT Assistance 
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8. (U) The Japanese Ambassador said that his embassy provided 
little CT training or support to the ROYG due to  legal 
prohibitions.  The majority of Japanese external military 
support was limited to humanitarian missions.  Despite this, 
Tokyo was studying the issue of providing assistance to the 
Yemeni Coast Guard and had sponsored PSO attendance at an 
international terrorism investigation seminar in 2003. 
 
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German CT Assistance 
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9. (U) The German Ambassador briefed that, like Japan, 
Berlin's focus in Yemen is economic development and that 
there was a "good government" provision on military support. 
His embassy had been allotted one million dollars for "crisis 
prevention" training, but it was unclear how this money would 
be spent.  Press reporting on a German-Yemeni security 
agreement was false. 
 
10. (C) Confidentially, the German Ambassador informed 
members that through liaison with the MOI he had learned that 
the man arrested in December 2003 for stabbing foreigners in 
downtown Sana'a had been in possession of $60,000.  Through 
other sources, the ambassador said that this man had been in 
contact with two other Yemenis language students in Germany 
and that a man by the same name had unsuccessfully applied 
for a visa. 
 
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Russian CT Assistance 
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11. (U) The Russian DCM briefed members that although there 
was no formal security agreement, military support to the 
ROYG was very high and had increased dramatically over the 
last year.  When queried, he admitted that the preponderance 
of this support was military sales, but added that it was 
subsidized and materiel was sold at cost.  In the unspecified 
future, the Russian Federation would be sending a team to 
Hudaydah to repair a Russian-supplied naval ship. 
Additionally, Russia and the Ukraine would be fully equipping 
two mobile brigades, which were ostensibly tasked with the CT 
mission.  This provisioning would include tanks and BMP-2 
infantry fighting vehicles, as well as a standard suite of 
other weapons and equipment. 
 
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Dutch CT Assistance 
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12. (U) The Ambassador of the Netherlands said that his 
embassy provided no CT assistance to the ROYG.  For the 
entire world, The Dutch Military Cooperation budget was only 
21 million euros, down from 50 the previous year.  He said he 
approached the ROYG to discuss possible CT assistance, but 
was told to concentrate on issues like health and education 
because there were other donor countries that were engaged on 
the CT issue. 
 
13. (C) Action requested:  Embassy recommends a strong US 
push for enhanced CT support to Yemen by the EU in the 
context of the US-EU dialogue in support of ongoing efforts 
by UK, French and other EU ambassadors in Sana'a. 
HULL