US embassy cable - 05SANAA3186

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 003186 
 
SIPDIS 
 
COMMERCE - PLEASE PASS TO TYLER HOFFMAN.  RIYADH - PASS TO 
FCS NANCY CHARLES-PARKER.  HELSINKI - PASS TO FCS ROBERT 
PEASLEE.  STATE - PLEASE PASS TO EB DENNIS WINSTEAD. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, ECIN, ECON, KTDB, YM, ECON/COM 
SUBJECT: COMMERCIAL STRATEGIC PLAN FY-2006 [CORRECTED COPY] 
 
1. Summary:  Embassy Sanaa's commercial office is currently 
a Partner Post of the Foreign Commercial Service's Riyadh 
office, and has recently undergone a transition in locally- 
employed commercial staff.  The new Commercial Specialist, 
Ammar Al-Anssi, was trained on U.S. Department of Commerce 
Foreign Commercial Service systems and procedures by Robert 
Peaselee, Regional Senior Commercial Officer (RSCO) Finland. 
This cable provides details on post's commercial strategic 
plan for FY-2006, to be accomplished in coordination with 
FCS Riyadh.  End Summary. 
 
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ACTION PLAN FOR COMMERCIAL OFFICE 
--------------------------------- 
 
2. Embassy's Commercial Office will provide a variety of 
support, services, and guarantees on behalf of the U.S. 
Department of Commerce in 2006, including: 
 
A. Coordinate commercial outreach to other parts of Yemen. 
B. Conceive, coordinate and implement a catalog show in the 
health care technology industry. 
C. Establish a link on the Embassy website to the Buyusa.gov 
website. 
D. Overhaul and comprehensively update Yemen's Buyusa.gov 
website. 
E. Introduce a Featured U.S. Exporters (FUSE) program on the 
website. 
F. Establish a Business Services Providers program on the 
website. 
G. Recruit five Yemeni companies to serve as the Yemen trade 
delegation to the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in 
May 2006. 
I. Introduce the International Company Profile (ICP) service 
in Yemen. 
J. Introduce the Gold Key Service (GKS) in Yemen. 
K. Propose several new commercial outreach activities for 
the Department's Business Facilitation and Incentive Fund 
(BFIF) program.  The proposals will include requests for 
funding for the Commercial Specialist's participation and 
travel to the OTC 2006 conference, accompanying the 
Saudi/Qatari Delegation. 
M. Reinstate Open Commercial Meetings (quarterly). 
N. Develop a Recognition Program for Key Contacts and 
Multipliers, including awarding certificates in a biannual 
commercial recognition ceremony in conjunction with the 
Front Office. 
O. Complete the formation of a Yemeni-American Business 
Association established by the Econ/Commoff. 
P. Participate in the Regional CS Gulf Planning Meeting. 
 
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DELIVERABLES FOR FCS RIYADH 
--------------------------- 
 
3. In addition to the action plan, the Commercial Office 
will provide the following Commercial Service deliverables 
to FCS Riyadh: 
 
-- Planned Market Research Reports on the oil services and 
equipment markets and trends in the ICT sector. 
-- Fifteen Market Insight Reports (unplanned market research 
reports) 
-- Five Export Successes 
-- 100% Customer Satisfaction 
-- Twelve Highlights 
 
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GREATER INTEGRATION INTO THE FCS NETWORK 
---------------------------------------- 
 
4. During the recent training visit by the SRCO, the 
Commercial Specialist and Econ/Commercial Officers received 
logons to the Department of Commerce intranet.  Commercial 
Service e-mail addresses and expanded access to the intranet 
site's E-menu tool will facilitate greater coordination with 
FCS Riyadh, and post will consult with that on office on how 
to accomplish this goal. 
 
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SPECIAL CONDITIONS IN YEMEN'S COMMERCIAL ENVIRONMENT 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
5. Yemen is a challenging country for commercial services 
due to lack of rule of law, bureaucratic corruption, and an 
undeveloped investment environment.  Nonetheless, post is 
confident that it can successfully carry out the elements of 
this modest strategic plan, and looks forward to working 
with FCS Riyadh and Washington colleagues in this regard. 
Post plans for a comprehensive Commercial Service program 
for Yemen to augment MPP goals for economic reform in the 
coming years. 
 
6. Embassy Commercial Office Point of Contact: 
 
Ammar Al-Anssi, Commercial Assistant 
Tel: +967-1-755-2198 
Email: Al-AnssiAL@state.gov 
KRAJESKI