YEMEN: FORMER IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO VIETNAM ARRIVES

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 001414 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2013 TAGS: PREL ASEC IZ VM YM SUBJECT: YEMEN: FORMER IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO VIETNAM ARRIVES REF: A. STATE 163627 ¶B. SANAA 1351 ¶C. SANAA 1260 ¶D. SANAA 1259 ¶E. SANAA 1139 ¶F. SANAA 898 ¶G. STATE 102827 Classified By: Charges D'Affaires Alan G. Misenheimer for Reasons 1.5 ( b,c,d) ¶1. (S/NF) On June 18, before a meeting with FM Qirbi (see septels),Charge delivered the USG response to the ROYG request for information on Salah al-Muktar, the Saddam-era Iraqi Ambassador to Vietnam, to Abdul Hakim al-Iryani, Advisor to Foreign Minister Qirbi. Iryani noted that the text (see para 4) appeared rather ambivalent, and did not explicitly answer the key question on Muktar's affiliation with the Iraqi Intelligence Service. Iryani also confirmed that Muktar arrived in Sanaa on Monday, June 16, and is in the care of a group of Iraqis living in Sanaa. ¶2. (S/NF) FM Qirbi opened the 6/18 meeting with a plea for a quicker response to ROYG's requests for information. Qirbi noted that some Iraqi officials whose names ROYG submitted to the U.S. for vetting (see septels) have since pulled their applications for asylum in Yemen, but did not offer specifics. ROYG faces a potential problem, said Qirbi, because some Iraqis are coming into the country without advising ROYG in advance -- Iraqis, like some other Arab nationals, do not require visas to enter Yemen. ¶3. (S/NF) During a telcon with PolOff on 6/16, Iryani said the next request for USG vetting would include a high-level diplomat (Ambassador or DCM-equivalant) from Azerbiajan. Post expects to receive the new list, as well as contact information for the ROYG mission in Baghdad, on Saturday, June 21. ¶4. (S rel Yemen) Text delivered to ROYG on 6/18: (Begin text) We conducted traces on Salah al-Mukhtar, an Iraqi who has requested asylum from the Government of Yemen. We found the following information: -- One Salah 'Abd al-Qadir Mahmud al-Mukhtar was Iraqi Ambassador in New Delhi, India. (May 1999) -- Member of committee formed in mid-Jul 98 to address issue of poor performance and defections in Ba'th party cadre involved in propaganda activities. (Aug 1998) -- Editor in chief of the Al-Jumhuriyah newspaper and so-called confidant of Saddam. (Apr 1998) -- Chairman of the Organization of Friendship, Peace and Solidarity in Iraq. Iraqi ppt no, mi 7085/443. Subj was a delegate to the PAIC-sponsored fundamentalist islamic conference in Khartoum in early 1995. (Apr 1995) -- Salah al-Mukhtar was a Press Attache at Iraqi Mission to the United Nations; he stated that he has been in the U.S. working at the Iraqi Mission to the United Nations for about three to three and one half years. (may 1984) -- Subject, a Directorate General of Intelligence Officer, was to serve as the Managing Editor for the journal 'Al Dastour' based out of London. His cover was to be journalist/attache at the Iraqi press office. (Nov 1982) (End text) MISENHEIMER