US embassy cable - 03SANAA1194

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 001194 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
FBI FOR DIRECTOR MUELLER FROM AMBASSADOR 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, KCRM, YM, COUNTER TERRORISM 
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR FBI DIRECTOR MUELLER'S VISIT TO 
YEMEN 
 
REF: A. SANAA 1078 
     B. SANAA 1077 
     C. SANAA 1066 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edmund J. Hull, for Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
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Introduction 
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1. (S/NF)  The Ambassador has briefed President Saleh on your 
visit.  Saleh wishes to meet with you and welcomes the 
establishment of a LEGATT office in Sanaa.  As noted in the 
2002 Patterns of Global Terrorism Report, ROYG has provided 
"excellent cooperation with the U.S."  Your visit could 
hardly be better timed.  Having just mounted successful 
parliamentary elections and weathered the anxieties generated 
by the war in Iraq, Saleh and his newly formed government are 
in an upbeat mood as they formulate their agenda for the next 
two years.  CT cooperation with the USG figures prominently 
in that agenda.  Pushing for sustained Yemeni efforts to 
re-capture Cole suspects and enlisting Saleh's personal 
support for the LEGATT office should be two primary 
objectives of this visit. 
 
2.  (S/NF)  Yemen Minister of Interior (MOI) Alimi also looks 
forward to meeting with you during your visit.  Alimi has 
plans for expanding MOI's CT capabilities and has requested 
the FBI's cooperation and assistance.  The other key 
interlocutor for you here will be General Ghaleb Gamish, head 
of the Political Security Organization (PSO -- Yemen's 
intelligence service).  Both should be included in your 
meeting or luncheon with Saleh. 
 
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OVERVIEW 
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3.  (C)  U.S. relations with Yemen, the poorest and most 
populous nation on the Arabian Peninsula, have improved 
steadily in recent years.  Yemen has made commendable 
progress in political and economic reform, and internal 
security. 
 
4.  (C)  Since unification in 1990, Yemen has taken numerous 
steps to broaden political participation.  Yemen was the 
first country on the Arabian Peninsula to have universal 
suffrage and the first to have direct presidential elections. 
 Yemen held remarkably peaceful and orderly parliamentary 
elections on April 27, and a new cabinet has been appointed. 
The agenda for the new government, which will focus on 
economic development and security, should be released in 
early June. 
 
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JIBLA TRIAL 
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5.  (C)  The trial of Abed Abdulrazak Kamel, confessed 
murderer of three American citizens in Jibla on December 30, 
2002, concluded on May 7.  Kamel was sentenced to death on 
May 10.  Reports indicate that he intends to appeal.  The 
investigation phase of the trial was marked by excellent FBI 
support and U.S.-Yemen cooperation, including joint crime 
scene investigations.  FBI and ROYG officials conducted joint 
interviews with Kamel and all of the witnesses. 
 
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USS COLE 
-------- 
 
6.  (S/NF)  On April 11, ten prisoners, including four 
individuals implicated in the attack against the USS Cole, 
escaped from a high-security prison facility in Aden. 
Following the escape the local PSO Chief and the prison 
guards in Aden were questioned, roadblocks were set up, and 
photos of the escapees were carried by major newspapers. 
 
7.  (S/NF)  The re-arrest of the escapees is a matter of the 
highest priority.  President Saleh has assured the Ambassador 
that the ten will be re-captured.  A reward of up to 10 
million riyals (USD 54,645) has been offered for information 
leading to their arrest. 
 
8.  (S/NF)  Nevertheless, we need to urge continued Yemeni 
efforts or this campaign will flag.  Moreover, if they are 
recaptured, Saleh will almost certainly move to try Quso and 
Bedawi quickly.  He believes the delay in their trail, at 
U.S. behest, kept them alive and in less secure confinement. 
 
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COUNTERTERRORISM 
---------------- 
 
9.  (S/NF)  The ROYG has been effective in disrupting 
terrorist activities inside Yemen, and taken steps to monitor 
extremist elements.  The ROYG is also responsive and 
effective in providing security for Embassy personnel.  It 
looks to the U.S. for training and financial assistance in 
accomplishing these tasks. 
 
10.  (S/NF)  The ROYG has conducted CT operations throughout 
Yemen to capture key al-Qaida operatives, and has cracked 
down on religious institutions implicated in breeding 
extremism, including Dar al-Hadith institute in Marib and 
Al-Iman University in Sanaa, resulting in the expulsion of 
foreign students.  Yemen is also monitoring its ports of 
entry for entrants from Iraq and Afghanistan.  ROYG has 
provided excellent support to Embassy security, and 
intelligence sharing has improved.  The Yemenis have also 
been supportive of our requests for action against terrorist 
financing sources in Yemen, but this is a field in which 
bilateral cooperation has been limited. 
 
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IRAQ 
---- 
 
11.  (S/NF)  A member of the UN Security Council at the time 
of Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Yemen allied itself with 
Iraq and voted against the UN resolution authorizing the use 
of force in Iraq during the Gulf War.  Yemen suffered 
greatly.  It was marginalized by its Arab neighbors and over 
a million Yemenis working in Gulf states were sent home. 
U.S. support for Yemen re-unification after the 1994 civil 
war provided an opening for improved relations, and the ROYG 
responded.  Yemen has since issued statements consistent with 
those of the Arab mainstream -- lamenting the suffering of 
the Iraqi people and opposing long-term U.S. occupation of 
Iraq -- but stopped short of denouncing the U.S.  Saleh's 
desire to protect relations with the U.S. and the lingering 
economic impact and isolation caused by the ROYG's foreign 
policy after the first Gulf War notably softened its 
opposition to Operation Iraqi Freedom. 
 
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REGIONAL ISSUES 
--------------- 
 
12.  (C)  Yemen has actively attempted to repair damage to 
its relations with other Gulf states caused by its support 
for Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War.  Yemen has re-established 
relations with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and the border 
dispute with Oman has been resolved.  Yemen has also settled 
the dispute with Eritrea over the Hanish Islands (although 
fishing disputes remain a bilateral irritant), and reached a 
border agreement with Saudi Arabia. 
 
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U.S. ASSISTANCE 
--------------- 
 
13.  (S/NF)  The USG continues to help Yemen develop its CT 
capabilities.  U.S. Marines are currently training Yemeni 
security forces in Hodeidah, Sanaa, and Marib; support for 
Yemen's economic and political development continues; and 
USAID will re-open in June. 
 
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THE EMBASSY 
----------- 
 
14.  (C)  Sanaa is no longer on authorized departure, 
although minor dependents are not permitted at post.  Embassy 
security continues to benefit from ROYG cooperation augmented 
by structural improvements and personal protective measures. 
 
HULL