US embassy cable - 05SANAA1854

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 001854 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PTER, PARM, PREF, XW, SO, YM, COUNTER TERRORISM 
SUBJECT: MOD ALEWA ON USG ASSISTANCE, IRAQ AND SOMALIA 
 
REF: SANAA 1836 
 
Classified By: CDA Nabeel Khoury for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary.  In a July 3 meeting between visiting CENTCOM 
Deputy Commanding General, LTG Lance L. Smith, CDA and 
Minister of Defense Ali Abdullah Alewa, the Minister 
discussed the need for increased USG military support, 
suggested a general amnesty in Iraq and asked for increased 
USG assistance in Somalia. End Summary. 
 
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USG Assistance: Treat Us Like Jordan 
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2. (C) Alewa thanked the USG for supporting the Yemeni 
"Special Security Forces" and hoped that Yemen could continue 
to be a partner in the GWOT.  (Note: In Yemen there are two 
primary Special Forces units.  The more successful one is the 
Central Security Force Counter Terrorism Unit (CSF-CTU), 
which is under the Ministry of Interior's control. The 
Ministry of Defense operates the Yemeni Special Operations 
Forces (YSOF).  The USG currently only provides assistance to 
the CSF-CTU.  The Office of Military Cooperation-Yemen 
(OMC-Yemen) is currently in discussions with the MOD to 
provide assistance to YSOF. End Note).  Alewa also apologized 
over how the ROYG continually asks for increased military aid 
but added that Yemen needed help urgently since its prisons 
were "full of extremists".  Apologetically, the Minister 
noted that it sounded as though he were complaining and 
expressed hope that one day the "complaining would stop and 
(the USG) will treat us the way they treat Jordan." 
 
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Iraq: Some Personal Advice 
-------------------------- 
 
3. (C) During discussions on Iraq, the Minister told LTG 
Smith that "personally" he recommended that the newly elected 
Iraqi government grant a general amnesty to the majority of 
Iraqi/Ba'thi insurgents.  "You must remember what their 
motivations are," he pointed out, "most insurgents are 
fighting not for ideology but because of food and fear of the 
new government."  Alewa added that, coupled with a reduction 
of US troops in the cities, the amnesty could send a "very 
strong message" to the Iraqi and Arab people. 
 
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Somalia: USG Must Help 
---------------------- 
 
4. (C) Turning his attention to Somalia, Alewa expressed 
surprise over the USG's failure to provide any "serious" 
support to the newly elected Somali government of President 
Abdullahi Yusuf and the 275-member transitional Somali 
Parliament. "There will be no development in Somalia without 
USG support," he exclaimed, "if the USG wants a (Somali) 
government, there will be a government."  He urged the USG to 
help Somalia "politically, militarily and with humanitarian 
aid." 
 
5. (C) The Minister also pointed out that Yemen has begun to 
feel the strain of supporting Somali refugees, who have fled 
to Yemen in the thousands since the beginning of the Somali 
civil war in 1991.  "As the Somali refugees' conditions in 
Yemen improve, Yemenis' conditions are getting worse," he 
noted.  Alewa concluded by saying that Yemen could help the 
US by playing a primary role in helping to control extremism 
in Somalia.  "These people usually fight like crazy," he 
quipped. 
 
6. (C) Comment: The meeting with Alewa was routine.  Later in 
the day, after Interior Minister Rashad al-Alimi cited 
similar references to CDA and LTG Smith on Somalia and the 
need to increase USG assistance to the same amount that is 
allocated to Jordan (reftel), The desire for parity with 
Jordan and for playing the mediator in Somalia are recurrent 
themes in post's talks with ROYG officials. Saleh is expected 
to raise these issues during his visit to Washington in 
November. End Comment. 
Khoury