US embassy cable - 05SANAA2961

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 002961 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PD, NEA/RA, NEA/RRU, 
DS/OP/NEA AND S/CT 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD 
NEA/PPD FOR AFERNANDEZ 
THE WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, PHUM, PTER, KISL, YM 
SUBJECT: LIVELY MEDIA REACTION TO COMMMENTS REGARDING 
"STALLED" DEMOCRATIZATION 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Local outlets reacted strongly to the 
October 6 publication of Ambassador Krajeski's remarks that 
"Yemen's progress [towards greater democracy] has stalled." 
Official and GPC-funded newspapers charged the USG with 
interference in Yemen's internal affairs and accused the 
Ambassador of acting like a "high commissioner."  The Al- 
Ayyam interview sparked a discussion on Al-Jazeera's "Behind 
the News" program during which two Yemeni guests criticized 
the Ambassador's statement at length.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (U) On October 2, Al-Ayyam, a liberal independent daily 
based in Aden (circulation: 35,000-40,000) interviewed 
Ambassador Krajeski.  In the interview, published four days 
later, Ambassador Krajeski said: "Recently there has been 
concern in Washington that rather than continue along this 
... very well-defined path toward greater democracy, ... 
Yemen's progress has stalled."  The Ambassador added that 
while "Yemen has publicly chosen at the highest level to go 
down this road toward ... an expansion of freedoms, ... when 
journalists are harassed, when journalists are arrested, 
when newspapers are closed, yes, Washington is concerned." 
The interview was conducted in English and translated into 
Arabic.  In publication, the article translated the word 
"stalled" as "tuwaqqaf," a term connoting a full-stop -- 
rather than a temporary setback. 
 
3.  (U) On October 8, the ROYG's Saba News Agency responded 
with a statement that "democracy in Yemen is a matter for 
the people of Yemen alone," and called the Ambassador's 
reported comments "interference in Yemen's domestic 
affairs," asking rhetorically whether he "wants a democracy 
similar to the one established by the coalition forces in 
Iraq?"  Government and independent media outlets carried 
Saba's response.  On October 9, official government daily Al- 
Thawra (circulation: 40,000) published an editorial 
entitled:  "Our democracy is our business;" the editorial 
opined that the Ambassador's comments contradicted the views 
of the international community as a whole.  A second opinion 
article in Al-Thawra stated:  "It is not wise for some U.S. 
ambassadors to turn into high commissioners," and added, 
"This kind of approach will only bring more hatred and 
hostility to America's policies."  Manbar Al-Shura (state- 
funded weekly) cited the Ambassador's remarks as 
confirmation of his suspicious links with the opposition 
Joint Meeting Party (JMP). 
 
4.  (U) Also on October 9, Al-Jazeera hosted a discussion on 
Ambassador Krajeski's comments.  The program featured three 
Yemeni guests:  Abdul Wali al-Shamiri, Yemen's Ambassador to 
Egypt; Abdul-Malik al-Mikhlafi, a former leader of Yemen's 
Nasserist party; and Hassan Abu Talib, a Cairo-based 
academic and editor.  Al-Shamiri and al-Mikhlafi followed Al- 
Thawra's lead in accusing the Ambassador of "acting like a 
high commissioner."  Al-Shamiri noted: "Yemeni forces have 
never been involved in the murder of journalists the way 
American forces have been in Iraq."  Al-Mikhlafi said that 
while opposition figures such as himself have many comments 
on Yemen's democratization process, the Ambassador's 
comments were intended to "blackmail the regime and the 
opposition alike."  Abu Talib, however, generally supported 
the Ambassador's comments. 
 
5.  (U) On October 10, various media outlets across the 
political spectrum described the Al-Jazeera program.  Al- 
Thawra added a second editorial describing the Ambassador's 
remarks as "unfortunate and provocative" and contrasting the 
remarks with other statements by USG officials' praising 
Yemen's democracy.  Al-Motamer Net (GPC-owned news website) 
described the remarks as "irresponsible" and 
"disrespectful." 
 
6.   (U) The English-language daily Yemen Observer 
(circulation:  5,000) published online a second interview 
with Ambassador Krajeski late in the day on October 10 
noting the subtle difference in meaning between the English- 
language comment and the Arabic translation, which appeared 
in the Al Ayyam.  Faris Sanabani, who serves simultaneously 
as publisher of the Yemen Observer and as Deputy Press 
Secretary to President Saleh, conducted the second 
 
SIPDIS 
interview.  On October 11, Al-Thawra reported a similar 
clarification by the Ambassador:  "I did not say that Yemen 
has halted its progress toward democracy, but rather that 
democracy in Yemen has slowed due to certain incidents 
involving the harassment and abuse of journalists."  Al- 
Thawra further quoted the Ambassador as saying the USG 
"holds up [Yemen] as a model in the region." 
7.   (SBU) COMMENT:  Had the Saba News Agency not flagged 
the Ambassador's comments so prominently, the Al-Ayyam 
interview likely would have raised no furor.  The ROYG 
appears to have realized this soon after issuing its rebuff, 
and the conciliatory article by Sanabani's Yemen Observer on 
October 10 may reflect the regime's desire to put the hubbub 
surrounding the Ambassador's remarks to rest.  This 
conclusion may be confirmed by the similar tenor of the 
October 11 Al-Thawra article.  In view of President Saleh's 
scheduled visit to Washington, the ROYG has a significant 
interest in minimizing this sort of controversy.  End 
comment. 
 
KRAJESKI