Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
03SANAA3016 | 2003-12-23 12:30:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Sanaa |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 003016 |
1. SUMMARY: U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesman Phil Reeker visited Yemen during December 8-11. He held an open meeting with the press in Sana'a December 9th attended by journalists and correspondents of local newspapers, international news agencies and Arab TV channels including Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazira. The discussion covered issues of counter-terrorism, Iraq, the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, the road map, and the U.S.-Yemeni security co-operation. The visit was covered by a few Yemeni newspapers including the most widely-circulated Aden-based Al-Ayyam independent daily. END SUMMARY. 2. Phil Reeker held an open discussion with Yemeni journalists (December 09) giving a "nutshell approach" to the relationship between U.S. State Department spokesmen and media in the U.S. He discussed how spokesmen work with the media and explain U.S. policies. He told reporters attending the discussion that "Powell's one instruction in how we spokesmen do our jobs is to always tell the truth." Journalists were expecting Reeker to comment on U.S.-Yemeni relations, U.S.-Yemen counter-terrorism co-operation and al- Qaeda in Yemen and questions revolved around these issues. Reeker told journalists that the aim of the visit was to open up discussion and dialogue with journalists and listen to their comments on U.S. policies. Questions focused on U.S. aid to Yemen, and the possible release of any Yemeni prisoners from Guantanamo, Iraq and Palestine. Al-Jazira's correspondent reiterated Yemen's Prime Minister's comments on October 3rd that the U.S. is making difficult demands on Yemen in terms of counter-terrorism while offering little aid in return. Al-Arabiya's correspondent referred to the question of Palestine and "the sufferings the Palestinians are going through in light of a total U.S. bias to Israel" which he described as "the main cause that motivates terrorists and extremists to commit crimes." 3. Independent English-language Yemen Times bi-weekly (12/11) published a report on Reeker's visit with a bold headline reading: "Reeker: Fighting terrorism (in Yemen) is Yemen's primary responsibility." On the Guantanamo prisoners' issue, Yemen Times quoted Reeker as saying that "the U.S. Defense Department and other officials are working to quickly resolve the problem of al-Qaeda detainees at Guantanamo." "However" Yemen Times added "Reeker spotlighted the growing level of cooperation between his country and Yemen in fighting terrorism and that the whole world should join hands to fight terrorism since al-Qaeda is not merely targeting the U.S." Yemen Times also quoted Reeker as saying that his visit to the region was part of the U.S. Administration's efforts to bridge the gap and misunderstanding between the U.S. and Arabs. 4. Aden-based Al-Ayyam independent daily (12/13) published an interview with Reeker covering issues on: the U.S. initiative on democracy for the Middle East, democracy in Yemen, the local council system in Yemen and the U.S. policies in the Middle East. As far as Palestine and the road map are concerned, questions indicated that "the Yemeni public bears a sense of dissatisfaction toward the U.S. policy with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts" and that "the road map has become a dead initiative." Some questions carried a critical tone to the U.S. for "neglecting" the problems of Somalia and for not getting involved in Somalia as strongly as it does in the Middle East. 5. Pro-Iranian Al-Balagh independent weekly (12/16) published a report titled "former U.S. Spokesman says al- Qaeda is regrouping in the Arab Peninsula." The report said Reeker has admitted that the risk of al-Qaeda's presence in the Peninsula is increasing and that they still pose a threat to the whole region and not to the U.S. interests alone. "The statement," Al-Balagh added, "came in reply to the al-Balagh reporter's question which asked for Reeker's comments on a recent statement released by al-Qaeda in Yemen threatening attacks against U.S. interests in the region." 6. Al-Balagh (12/16) published an op-ed commenting on Reeker's statement that State Department spokesmen have always to tell the truth. The article commented that "media in the Arab and Muslim world, on the one hand, and the U.S. administration on the other, are at variance mainly due to the boiling issues of Iraq and Palestine." "America" the article said "wants the Arab and Muslim journalists to support its mission in Iraq and wants us to shake hands with Sharon and carry out Bush's democracy in our countries, while forgetting that it (the U.S.) has marginalized international laws with its rockets and troops in Iraq." The article concluded that "we hope that Reeker would tell the truth and convey our messages and concerns over Iraq and Palestine to the U.S. Administration as he had promised." 7. A journalist from Armed Forces weekly 26 September newspaper conducted an interview with Reeker December 11th covering issues on Yemen's co-operation with the U.S.-led international counter-terrorism campaign, Iraq and Palestine. The interview was supposed to come out Thursday, December 17th, but the interviewer said it will be published in the next week or two. HULL |