TFIZ01: YEMEN ANTSY OVER IRAQI CRITICISM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 000585 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2009 TAGS: PREL YM IZ SUBJECT: TFIZ01: YEMEN ANTSY OVER IRAQI CRITICISM Classified By: AMB: EJHULL FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) An interpreter for President Salih, Mohamed Sudam, phoned Ambassador March 23 to underline that the Yemeni government is taking criticism over its stance on the war against Iraq. Sudam cited March 23 remarks of Iraqi VP Taha Ramadan, and an editiorial by Al-Quds Al-Arabi's editor-in-chief Abdul Bari. (We have been unable to find the latter, nor has the local stringer here for Al-Quds.) Concurrent with Sudam's signal of Yemeni sensitivity, there has been a shift in local media coverage (septel). ¶2. (U) Here is the Ramadan excerpt -- in which Yemen clearly falls in the third category: "As for the official Arab stands, they are divided into three categories. I know some Arab rulers will be annoyed by what I say. What I will say applies to the majority and not all Arab states. Here are the three categories. 1. Rulers who directly plot and take part in the aggression, like the regime in Kuwait. 2. Rulers who plot and coordinate in secret and indirectly or secretly take part in the SIPDIS aggression. However, their role has started to be exposed. The Arab masses started to discover their roles. I will not mention the names of those governments now. 3. The failing rulers who try to prevent their people from protesting the aggression. They ask their masses not to protest except with the approval of interior ministers. If the masses go the embassies of aggression, they are confronted with bullets and killing. They convene councils of war and form investigation committees and consider those who confront security men as plotters against the security of their countries. They pledged to protect the Americans and Zionists in their countries and they are ready to launch a war for this sake." HULL