Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04MANAMA1889
2004-12-15 12:39:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Manama
Cable title:  

DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR HADLEY'S DECEMBER

Tags:  PREL PGOV PTER MARR ASEC YM SA BA 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001889 

SIPDIS

NSC FOR DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR HADLEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MARR ASEC YM SA BA
SUBJECT: DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR HADLEY'S DECEMBER
5 MEETING WITH YEMENI INTERIOR MINISTER RASHED MOHAMMED AL
ALIMI

Classified by A/DCM Hallie H. Hahn for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001889

SIPDIS

NSC FOR DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR HADLEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MARR ASEC YM SA BA
SUBJECT: DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR HADLEY'S DECEMBER
5 MEETING WITH YEMENI INTERIOR MINISTER RASHED MOHAMMED AL
ALIMI

Classified by A/DCM Hallie H. Hahn for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) Deputy National Security Advisor Hadley met with
Yemeni Interior Minister Rashed Mohammed Al Alimi December 5
on the margins of the IISS Gulf Security Dialogue conference
in Manama. Al Alimi thanked the U.S. for its counter
terrorism assistance and expressed his desire to increase
cooperation in this area. Yemen faces a great challenge from
the flow of refugees to Yemen from the Horn of Africa. The
ROYG had requested assistance from the U.S. naval command in
Djibouti, and would like to expand its program of monitoring
the coastline with its coast guard and through the use of hot
air balloons. DNSA Hadley indicated that Yemen should focus
further on finding ways to stem the flow of weapons into the
country, which is a source of instability in the region. Al
Alimi said that Yemen had requested help from Saudi Arabia
but had not received a positive answer. The link between the
Saudi government and the religious establishment was a
problem that would take a long-term strategy to solve. End
Summary.

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Expanding Counter Terrorism Efforts
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2. (C) Yemeni Interior Minister Rashed Mohammed Al Alimi
opened the December 5 meeting with Deputy National Security
Advisor Hadley by expressing his desire to increase
cooperation with the United States on combating terrorism and
in other fields. He was pleased to participate in the IISS
conference on Gulf security because by doing so Yemeni
security was linked with the security of the Gulf. He
thanked DNSA Hadley for U.S. assistance to the Interior
Ministry and the Yemeni Coast Guard. The results have been
very good, but he would like to do more. DNSA Hadley
responded that Yemen is a good model on counter terrorism,
reform, and encouraging freedom and democracy. Yemen does

not get enough recognition for its efforts and the U.S. looks
forward to deepening our bilateral cooperation.


3. (C) Al Alimi said that Yemen faces significant challenges
from the Horn of Africa and Somalia, the source of many
refugees. Chief of Staff General Mohammed Ali Al Qassimi
said that the Yemeni military had requested assistance from
the U.S. naval command in Djibouti to stop the flow of
refugees into Yemen. Yemen has a long coastline and large
numbers of refugees stream into the country from Africa. The
Yemeni government must obligate funds to the Coast Guard at
the expense of other programs. He noted that the use of hot
air balloons is a good way to patrol the coastline at a
reasonable cost and requested U.S. assistance to expand this
program.

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Weapons Source of Regional Instability
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4. (C) DNSA Hadley took note of the Yemeni request and
stated his gratitude that the ROYG took into account U.S.
concerns related to the Ramadan prisoner release. The two
countries are cooperating on MANPADS and the weapons buy-back
program. He stated that Yemen should focus further on the
flow of arms into Yemen. Though the U.S. would not be able
to expand its buy-back program, it considers the presence of
these weapons to be a source of instability in the region,
including in Saudi Arabia.


5. (C) Al Alimi replied that the existence of weapons is of
great concern to the ROYG and the security apparatus. He
noted that he had spoken with State Department Assistant
Secretary Bloomfield about a long-term program to control

SIPDIS
these arms. He reported that Yemen tells Saudi Arabia that
many of these weapons are in the country as a result of the
Yemeni civil war. He said that he and Chief of Staff Al
Qassimi visited Saudi Arabia and asked for assistance from
their counterparts, but did not receive a positive response.
The Yemenis suggested that Saudi Arabia, rather than
allocating funds for border controls, assist the Yemenis in
expanding the buy-back program.

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Severing Link Between SAG and Ulama
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6. (C) Al Alimi stated that Saudi Arabia had not been
serious about combating terrorism until the Riyadh attacks in
May 2003. Prior to this, Yemen would pass the SAG names of
terrorists and information about terror financing networks,
and the Saudis would respond that these were "only
preachers." Under Saudi Assistant Interior Minister Shaikh
Mohammed bin Nayef, Yemeni-Saudi counter terrorism
cooperation had expanded greatly. The terrorism issue in
Saudi Arabia is mostly political, said Al Alimi. There is a
strong link between the government and the religious
establishment, and the SAG must implement a long-term
strategy to sever this link.


7. (C) The NSC cleared this message.

MONROE