US embassy cable - 05SANAA1516

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 001516 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2015 
TAGS: OPRC, PHUM, SMIG, PREL, PARM, KCRM, KWMN, KBCT, YM, KNP, DEMARCHE, TRAFFICKING PERSONS, COUNTER TERRORISM 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DELIVERS TIP, GTMO, ARAB-ISRAELI 
DEMARCHES: DISCUSSES IRAN WITH FM 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 100432 
     B. SECSTATE 97599 
     C. SECSTATE 95828 
     D. SECSTATE 92662 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Thomas C. Krajeski for reasons 1.5 b and d. 
 
1. (C) Summary.  Ambassador delivered reftel demarches to 
Minister of Foreign Affairs Qirbi on June 1 on the Yemen 
Trafficking in Persons report, return of Yemenis from 
Guantanamo, and Arab League support for the Arab-Israeli 
peace process.  The FM also discussed details of his recent 
trip to Iran, including Iran's positions on al-Houthi, 
nuclear proliferation, and Iraq.  End summary. 
 
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Yemen Cautions Iran on al-Houthi Support 
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2. (C) Just returned from an official visit to Tehran, Qirbi 
said Yemen engaged the Government of Iran in a frank 
discussion about the al-Houthi rebellion.  Iran was 
"misinformed about the nature of the al-Houthi rebellion in 
Saada," contended Qirbi, saying Iran was wrong in its belief 
that the ROYG is waging a war against Shi'a.  While al-Houthi 
and his followers follow Twelver Shi'a theology, they are few 
in number.  The vast majority of Yemenis in the Sa,ada 
region are Zaydi, and in Qirbi,s view are not Shi,a as they 
follow Islamic jurisprudence that is closer to the Sunni 
tradition.  Qirbi also denied that the ROYG was persecuting 
Shi'a clergy or confiscating religious texts.  Following 
recent public statements from Iran in support of the 
rebellion, Qirbi said that during his visit he warned Iran 
"against meddling in Yemen's internal affairs." 
 
3. (C) On the issue of nuclear proliferation, Qirbi said Iran 
continues to believe it has the right to enrich uranium for 
peaceful purposes but is willing to discuss inspection 
mechanisms.  Iran does not feel threatened by sanctions, said 
Qirbi, as they have extensive domestic capacity.  (Note: 
Yemen officially opposes all nuclear arms in the region.  End 
note.)  In Qirbi's opinion, Iran should be flexible and 
demonstrate it has no negative nuclear intentions.  On 
upcoming elections, Qirbi agreed with most political 
analysts, saying that Rafsanjani appears likely to win the 
presidency as a compromise candidate between reformers and 
conservative clerics.  He also said that Iranian officials 
are confident in the newly elected Iraqi Government and its 
ability to control terrorism, and viewed instability in Iraq 
as comparable to their own history following the Iranian 
Revolution. 
 
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Reducing Poverty Will End Child Trafficking 
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4. (SBU) Ambassador notified the FM that Yemen had been 
listed for the first time as a Tier 2 country in this year's 
Trafficking in Persons report (ref A).  Ambassador raised the 
issue of organized trafficking of Yemeni children to Saudi 
Arabia for exploitation as beggars and laborers as of Yemen's 
major TIP problems that the ROYG needs to combat.  Ambassador 
recognized the difficulty in taking on this problem given 
Yemen's limited resources, but noted the importance of the 
ROYG building a comprehensive TIP strategy to decrease this 
and other TIP-related practices in Yemen.  Qirbi responded 
that emigration to KSA is not essentially a trafficking 
problem, but rather the result of extreme poverty driving 
youth to see work across the border.  The solution to this 
problem, said Qirbi, is development and poverty alleviation. 
 
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No Enthusiasm for Arab League Boycott 
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5. (C) Ambassador delivered ref B demarche encouraging Arab 
League capitals to support the Middle East Peace Process, and 
urged Yemen to oppose continuation or expansion of the 
boycott against companies that do business with Israel.  The 
Arab League will continue to support the Palestinian 
Authority, said Qirbi, and will make the necessary 
contributions to the Authority's budget.  Although some Arab 
states continue to see the boycott as a useful tool to 
pressure Israel, explained Qirbi, in reality it has been 
relaxed in recent years and few countries actually implement 
it.  The boycott will ease automatically without pressure 
from the outside, insisted the FM, if the peace process is 
successful. 
 
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GTMO Returnees:  "We Have Nothing Against Them" 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
6. (C) Ambassador delivered ref C demarche on continued 
detention of Yemeni prisoners, and ref D demarche on the 
return of five Yemeni prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.  The FM 
received names of the prisoners in question, and for a second 
time our request for guarantees that these Yemenis not be 
mistreated upon their return.  If they are Yemenis, said 
Qirbi, and "the U.S. has nothing against them, then we have 
nothing against them." 
Krajeski