YEMENI JUSTICE MINISTER PLANS FOR REFORM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 002134

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2008
TAGS: KJUS PHUM PGOV PINR YM
SUBJECT: YEMENI JUSTICE MINISTER PLANS FOR REFORM

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Alan G. Misenheimer for Reasons 1.5 (b
,d)


1. (C) Summary and comment: Charge, accompanied by
pol/econoff, called on newly-appointed Minister of Justice
Dr. Adnan Omar al-Jafri on August 24 to discuss judicial
reform efforts in Yemen. The Minister described his
methodology for approaching the reform he admits is sorely
needed, highlighting specifically the role of women and the
need for commercial law reform. The Minister will attend the
Arab Judicial Forum in Bahrain and said repeatedly the "doors
are open" for cooperation between his Ministry and the USG on
reform efforts. A congenial and energetic persona, the
Minister appears eager to make his mark on judicial reform.
However, given the complicated and antiquated justice sector
in Yemen and his newness in the ROYG Cabinet, it remains to
be seen if his efforts will result in the kind of concrete
reform that Yemen needs. See paragraph 7 for biographic
data. End summary and comment.

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He Has a Plan; Requests USG Assistance
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2. (U) The Charge asked about ROYG efforts on judicial
reform since 1997 and the Minister's plans for continuing
reform, particularly regarding women. The Minister said he
visited all twenty governorates over the summer, exploring
such issues as accessibility to justice, the speed by which
judgements were made and the special difficulties faced by
women seeking justice. He said that eight conferences will
be held over the next month covering all governorates to
discuss judicial reform. The results and recommendations of
the conferences will be brought together in a large gathering
in Sanaa, with the aim of developing a comprehensive reform
document that would provide the basis for the ROYG's reform
efforts. He noted the sessions would be open to the public
and invited Embassy officials to attend.


3. (U) The Minister said that the international community
has not provided the necessary engagement on judicial reform.
However, he admitted that part of the problem has been a
ROYG reluctance to be open to such assistance, partly because
of the Islamic Shari'a roots of Yemen's law practices. He
emphasized that his "doors were open" to strong cooperation
and assistance and said that once his reform plan is
developed, he plans to engage with the donor community on a
frequent basis. He said he would like to work closely with
the U.S. Embassy to cooperate in "all areas" of judicial
reform. He also described his efforts to modernize
administrative aspects of the judicial sector that need
assistance, including putting hand-written laws and court
decisions on computer and training staff. (Note: Both the
World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme have
nascent programs to assist the justice sector. Bilateral
assistance is limited. End note)

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Increasing Role of Women; Commercial Law Reform
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4. (U) On increasing the number of women in the justice
sector, the Minister said that more than half of the law
students in Aden were women, noting that "all fields are open
to them." (Note: Yemen currently has less than ten female
judges, all of whom serve in family court. One of the
participants attending the Arab Judicial Reform conference in
Bahrain is a female commercial lawyer based in Aden, Reem
Abdullah. End note)


5. (U) The Charge also asked about Yemen's weak commercial
law courts, which the Minister agreed create a disincentive
for foreign investment. Al-Jafri noted the sector only has
five commercial law courts and thirty judges, not all of whom
are trained in commercial law practice. He requested
assistance with training programs targeting commercial law
reform, including English-language training.

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Attending Bahrain Conference
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6. (U) Minister al-Jafri expressed appreciation for the
Bahrain conference and said he looks forward to attending.
He said he is particularly interested in meeting Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor and discussing possible cooperation with
the United States.

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Bio Data
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7. (U) Biographic data for Dr. Adnan Omar al-Jafri:

-- Minister of Justice, appointed May 2003
-- Born 1961, Aden
-- PhD in International Law, Aden
-- Attorney General of Abyan Governorate
-- Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law; Dean of the College
of Education, Abyan
-- Member of Parliament, Constituency 25
MISENHEIMER