US embassy cable - 05SANAA2996

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 002996 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PRM/WRA RICHARD KIDD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PARM, PTER, ETTC, MASS, YM, DEMARCHE, COUNTER TERRORISM 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DELIVERS ARMS BROKERS DEMARCHE 
 
REF: STATE 163140 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Thomas C. Krajeski for reasons 1.4 b and d. 
 
1. (S) Summary.  On October 16, Ambassador, along with UK 
Ambassador Michael Gifford, delivered ref A demarche to 
Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Qirbi expressing concern over the 
continued use of Yemeni arms dealers to procure weapons on 
behalf of the Ministry of Defense (MOD).  He noted that MOD 
appears to be purchasing assault rifles in numbers that far 
exceed their existing requirement. Ambassador acknowledged 
ROYG efforts to inform supplier countries of President 
Saleh's March pledge to cease using third-party arms dealers, 
but stressed that more action was needed to control the 
importation of small arms/light weapons (SA/LW) ahead of 
Saleh's November visit to Washington.  Qirbi requested 
further information on the firms and individuals involved, 
promising ROYG action "on any information you give us." 
Qirbi said that he "is not surprised" that people are trying 
to "get around" ROYG policies on SA/LW purchases.  End 
Summary. 
 
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Continued Use of Arms Brokers 
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2.  (S)  Ambassador informed Qirbi that the USG received 
information that Yemeni arms dealers are attempting to 
purchase massive quantities of SA/LW and related ammunition 
from various foreign suppliers.  He highlighted two deals, 
one with a Bulgarian firm to import thousands of AK-47 
assault rifles and another with a Belarussian firm to import 
tens of thousands of Kalashnikov assault rifles.  These 
deals, Ambassador continued, contradict Saleh's firm 
commitment to stop using third-party arms dealers to procure 
weapons on behalf of MOD.  He also noted that MOD appeared to 
have direct knowledge of these deals, despite being ordered 
by Saleh to void all End User Certificates (EUC) previously 
issued to private dealers. 
 
3.  (S)  Ambassador acknowledged ROYG efforts to inform 
supplier countries of Saleh's pledge, as well as working 
through international organizations to address the issue of 
SA/LW proliferation.  Concerns, however, over MOD's continued 
use of private arms dealers will be discussed during Saleh's 
visit to Washington, said Ambassador.  He reiterated that the 
USG would support the ROYG's legitimate military needs by 
helping destroy old weapons and creating an inventory system 
to better manage existing weapons stocks. 
 
4.  (S) UK Ambassador emphasized UK support for the joint 
demarche, saying that the continued use of arms dealers 
"affects our confidence in Yemen's ability to deliver on 
counter-terrorism issues."  A regularized procurement system 
to meet MOD's legitimate military needs must be created, he 
continued, to stop weapons from ending up in the hands of 
terrorists. 
 
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Qirbi: We're Trying, Please Help 
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5.  (S) Qirbi responded that Saleh's pledge still held, but 
added "I'm not surprised people are trying to get around our 
policy."   He explained that all embassies were instructed 
not to approve any arms deals without first notifying the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Qirbi requested details on the 
arms deals, saying the ROYG "will act on any information you 
give us." 
 
6.  (S)  After asking the Ambassador's and his own notetakers 
to leave the room, Qirbi mentioned that the ROYG received 
intelligence on the Bulgarian deal through a Yemeni embassy 
(Note: Qirbi did not specify which embassy). He said a 
Bulgarian offered to sell information about the arms deals. 
A ROYG official requested a meeting to further discuss the 
issue, but the Bulgarian informant never returned.  The 
embassy attempted to follow up but was unable to reestablish 
contact.  On other ROYG actions to stop arms deals, Qirbi 
added that Yemen's two biggest arms dealers, Faris Mana and 
Ahmed Jerman, had been informed directly that they could no 
longer purchase weapons on behalf of MOD. 
 
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Comment 
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7. (S) Comment: Qirbi's comments indicate that some elements 
within the ROYG may be actively pursuing reports of the 
continued use of private arms dealers, when intelligence is 
received.  Without support from MOD, however, intelligence 
and the ROYG's ability to stop such deals is limited.  As 
seen during efforts to win Saleh's pledge against the use of 
third-party dealers, the most effective tool in securing 
Yemeni cooperation is to provide detailed information on both 
the Yemeni and foreign companies involved. 
 
8.  (S) Post requests detailed information on the arms deals 
and the companies involved to share with the ROYG in order to 
support their efforts to stop third-party arms deals.  End 
Comment. 
Krajeski