US embassy cable - 05SANAA2162

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 002162 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KDEM, KMCA, KMPI, KWMN, YM, DOMESTIC POLITICS 
SUBJECT: HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR NEW CHIEF OF YEMENI 
SOCIALIST PARTY 
 
Classified By: DCM Nabeel Khoury for reasons 1.4 b and d. 
 
1. (SBU) Summary. Amidst calls of "Enough corruption! Enough 
plundering!" and "Let's put unity back on track," the Yemen 
Socialist Party (YSP), Yemen's third most influential 
political party, concluded its Fifth Annual Conference on 
July 31.  The conference wrapped up with the election of a 
new secretary general, Dr. Yassin Saeed Noman, a resolution 
to several heated "conservative" vs. "progressive" debates, 
and the release of a final Communiqu. End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) The YSP conducted its Fifth Annual National 
Convention July 26-31 in Sanaa.  The Convention, attended by 
more than 2000 delegates from across the country, was touted 
as the YSP's last chance to re-ignite itself after suffering 
from political stagnation since the 2002 assassination of its 
powerful deputy SYG, Jarallah Omar. 
 
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"The Best Thing To Happen in Yemen Since 1994!" 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
3. (SBU) On July 30, Yassin Saeed Noman became the YSP's 
third SYG since Yemeni unification, after incumbent Ali Saleh 
Obaid Muqbil stepped down for health reasons.  Noman takes 
leadership of the YSP at time when the party is perhaps the 
weakest in its history as a result of Omar's death and losing 
a large number of its leadership to exile after the 1994 
Civil War. 
 
4. (C) Noman, who returned from self imposed exile abroad 
nearly two years ago, is well respected in Yemeni political 
circles for his performance as the first Speaker of 
Parliament following Unification.  His acceptance of the 
nomination sparked widespread congratulations from Yemeni 
political figures across the political spectrum.  No one was 
more pleased than SYG of the ruling GPC party, Dr. Abdul 
Karim al-Iryani, who reportedly called Noman from Germany to 
thank him for taking the job the night of the election. 
 
5. (C) Deputy Foreign Minister Mustafa Noman, who is "good 
friends" with, but not related to, Yassin Saeed Noman, 
described the new YSP head as a "good man of solid national 
reputation.  Everyone is optimistic he can revive the whole 
political spectrum," DFM Noman told DCM on August 2, adding 
that the new SYG nominee was not tainted by involvement in 
the "bloody era of the south" and has made his reputation as 
a competent technocrat.  DFM Noman told DCM he was with SYG 
nominee Noman the night of the nomination and that the latter 
had some trepidation about accepting until a phone call from 
President Saleh persuaded his to take the post.  DFM Noman 
said Iryani also called that night, praising Noman's election 
as "the best thing to happen in Yemen since the civil war in 
1994." 
 
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High Expectations from All 
-------------------------- 
 
6. (C) There are high expectations for the New Secretary 
General, which may explain the reluctance to accept the 
position until President Saleh's urging.  Political 
observers, including long time YSP Central Committee member 
Abdullah Mohammed, expect that SYG nominee Noman will be able 
to strengthen the party's internal structures, badly damaged 
from endemic infighting since 1994.  Moderates within the 
leading opposition party, Islah, hope some real competition 
from the Socialists will force Islah's conservative 
leadership to push forward with their reform agenda.  The 
ROYG is hoping for a more "responsible" opposition with Noman 
leading the YSP. 
 
7. (SBU) Noman's appointment piggybacked on the election of a 
301-member Central Committee responsible for formulating the 
YSP's platform and electing its Politburo leadership.  The 
elections, described by convention participants and local 
media as "fair and transparent," elected 8 members of 
parliament, 40 women, and 13 YSP leaders currently in exile 
to the powerful committee. 
 
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Heated Debate And A Call For Unity 
---------------------------------- 
 
8. (SBU) The Conference, which was closed to the general 
public, concluded on July 31, three days later than expected. 
 Press observers told Poloff that the delay was caused by 
several heated debates on platform and leadership issues. 
The debate was split between two trends: A conservative "old 
guard," which insists that the ROYG remedy its past actions 
against the YSP as a precondition to the YSP's political 
participation, and "progressive unionists," who advocated 
immediate political participation.  Newspapers also reported 
that "unionists" won a slight majority over the conservatives 
in the Politburo, the YSP's 29-person body charged with 
running the party. 
 
9. (SBU) The convention was also peppered with calls on the 
ROYG to reinvigorate "true" national unity.  Senior YSP 
member Mohammed Masdos led the charge, calling on Saleh to 
begin a dialogue with the YSP in order to remove the "effects 
of war" and find "the path to unity."  Several times 
throughout the convention, other speakers called for "true 
unity" supported by chants declaring, "The YSP is for unity!" 
and demanding, "dialogue for reform!" 
 
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The Final Communiqu 
-------------------- 
 
10. (SBU) the convention published its final communiqu on 
August 1, calling for a national plan to fight corruption, a 
political system that puts rule of law above all, and urging 
the ROYG to secure civil liberties and human rights.  The 
official platform, released to party members, will be 
distributed to the press and public in the near future. 
 
11. (SBU) Comment: The convention seems to have breathed new 
life into a party reeling from infighting and stagnation 
since the assassination of Jarallah Omar.  The new SYG must 
convince his followers to stop fretting about the past and 
formulate a realistic political and strategic plan for moving 
forward.  If the YSP fails to look forward, it will lose this 
last chance to become a party with any political relevance to 
Yemenis.  Although there were many calls for dialogue with 
the ROYG and for "true unity," the party has yet to 
articulate what this really means or how it expects to 
achieve it.  This phrase could reflect the party's 
willingness to join other parties, including the GPC, in 
order to achieve "unity" and, more importantly, to survive. 
End Comment. 
Krajeski