COUNTERTERRORISM ACTION GROUP -- 10 FEBRUARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SANAA 000358

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/EX, S/CT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2014
TAGS: PTER ASEC PREL COUNTER TERRORISM
SUBJECT: COUNTERTERRORISM ACTION GROUP -- 10 FEBRUARY
MISSIONS' MEETING IN SANA'A, YEMEN

REF: SECSTATE 14279


1. (U) Summary: On 10 February 2004, the Ambassador hosted a
meeting of the G-8 Counterterrorism Action Group (CTAG) local
mission representatives at the Residence to discuss and
coordinate member-nations' ongoing counterterrorism training
and assistance efforts with the Republic of Yemen government
(ROYG). Although there was great variance from country to
country in the level of support and training, all members
agreed that more needed to be done to bolster the ROYG's CT
capabilities. For follow-up among members, The Ambassador
noted the need for a coordination meeting for support to the
Yemeni Coast Guard (YCG) and a future meeting with Minister
of Interior Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi to discuss escorted travel,
travel advisories and bureaucratic requirements for tourists.
Attendees included the ambassadors of France, Germany,
Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan and the
Deputy Chief of Mission of the Russian Federation. Action
Recommended: Strong support for EU funding for CT in Yemen
pursuant to request from European Ambssadors. (Para 13) End
summary.

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The CTAG
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2. (U) The Ambassador opened the meeting by reviewing the
purpose of the CTAG and informing the members that a
capital-level CTAG meeting would be occurring in Washington
later in the month. The Department had asked the Embassy to
solicit mission-level input from other G-8 members for this
20 February meeting in order to provide focus based on
combined assessments. The Ambassador proposed a round-table
format where each member representative would discuss his
country's security cooperation with the ROYG, explain
assistance programs and identify outstanding needs. The
Ambassador then briefed members on ROYG Foreign Minister
Qirbi's recent visit to Washington and the positive response
he received.

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USG CT Assistance
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3. (U) In briefly describing the Embassy's CT programs, the
Ambassador told members that the first tranche of US-supplied
Coast Guard boats would arrive on 14 February and likely
become operational in mid-March. The Embassy also intended
to soon begin work with appropriate ROYG security forces to
counter the movement of weapons, WMD or unauthorized
personnel across the borders. The Embassy had a program to
work with police or other law enforcement personnel to
provide training in anti-riot and community policing
techniques. Finally, the Embassy would continue its training
of ROYG military forces, to include the Central Security
Force (CSF),Special Forces, the Yemeni Coast Guard and the
Navy.

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French CT Assistance
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4. (U) The French Ambassador informed members of an
early-March 2004 CG training assessment team that would
conduct a survey as a prelude to further assistance. He
added that a French Ministry of Interior (MOI) team would
also arrive in that same period to conduct a similar survey
among police units. This survey was the first step in a
5-year program budgeted for 2.5 million euros. The French
wished to extend training from police units to the ROYG
judiciary, with emphasis on the principle of "the rule of
law." The French Ambassador expected that his Police Attach
would arrive in April or May 2004.


5. (U) Concerning security assistance, He further explained
that the French Embassy was in an "identification phase" and
not yet operational. The French Ambassador expressed a
desire to mobilize the European Union (EU) to engage them as
a body to provide training and funding to the ROYG's CT
efforts. He suggested that costs would be minimal and that
the model of EU support for the Palestinian Authority could
be used as precedent, which received support from all
attendees. He suggested, and the Ambassador agreed, that the
U.S. could also assist in this matter at higher levels.

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British CT Assistance
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6. (U) The British Ambassador said that ongoing training
assistance (joint with American troops) to the CSF would
continue. Concerning the CG, in early February 2004 a marine
engineering delegation made a 2-week visit to conduct a
survey. The Royal National Lifeboat Institute would be
conducting a survey in the near term. The British Embassy
would also be sponsoring a visit by Judge Hamud Al-Hitar to
the U.K. on 25 February to discuss the issue of creating a
dialogue between government and Islamists. (Note: Hitar is
the primary judicial representative involved in the ROYG's
periodic release of detained extremists. End note.) The
British Embassy has a program to work with members of the
Political Security Organization (PSO) to promote methods of
interrogation that increased efficiency without any use of
torture.

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Italian CT Assistance
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7. (U) The Italian Ambassador briefed members that the
technical issues surrounding Italian-supplied coastal radar
systems had been resolved and installation of the system
would begin in late 2004. The system is sophisticated and
establishes linkages between local units and a central Sana'a
station to complete coverage of all maritime traffic in the
Bab Al-Mendab region. The Italian embassy was also pushing
forward a draft cooperation agreement on international crime
and terrorism, which the Italian Ambassador said was soon to
be signed. The draft proposed formalizing a exchange of
information at the MOI level between the two countries.

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Japanese CT Assistance
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8. (U) The Japanese Ambassador said that his embassy provided
little CT training or support to the ROYG due to legal
prohibitions. The majority of Japanese external military
support was limited to humanitarian missions. Despite this,
Tokyo was studying the issue of providing assistance to the
Yemeni Coast Guard and had sponsored PSO attendance at an
international terrorism investigation seminar in 2003.

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German CT Assistance
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9. (U) The German Ambassador briefed that, like Japan,
Berlin's focus in Yemen is economic development and that
there was a "good government" provision on military support.
His embassy had been allotted one million dollars for "crisis
prevention" training, but it was unclear how this money would
be spent. Press reporting on a German-Yemeni security
agreement was false.


10. (C) Confidentially, the German Ambassador informed
members that through liaison with the MOI he had learned that
the man arrested in December 2003 for stabbing foreigners in
downtown Sana'a had been in possession of $60,000. Through
other sources, the ambassador said that this man had been in
contact with two other Yemenis language students in Germany
and that a man by the same name had unsuccessfully applied
for a visa.

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Russian CT Assistance
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11. (U) The Russian DCM briefed members that although there
was no formal security agreement, military support to the
ROYG was very high and had increased dramatically over the
last year. When queried, he admitted that the preponderance
of this support was military sales, but added that it was
subsidized and materiel was sold at cost. In the unspecified
future, the Russian Federation would be sending a team to
Hudaydah to repair a Russian-supplied naval ship.
Additionally, Russia and the Ukraine would be fully equipping
two mobile brigades, which were ostensibly tasked with the CT
mission. This provisioning would include tanks and BMP-2
infantry fighting vehicles, as well as a standard suite of
other weapons and equipment.

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Dutch CT Assistance
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12. (U) The Ambassador of the Netherlands said that his
embassy provided no CT assistance to the ROYG. For the
entire world, The Dutch Military Cooperation budget was only
21 million euros, down from 50 the previous year. He said he
approached the ROYG to discuss possible CT assistance, but
was told to concentrate on issues like health and education
because there were other donor countries that were engaged on
the CT issue.


13. (C) Action requested: Embassy recommends a strong US
push for enhanced CT support to Yemen by the EU in the
context of the US-EU dialogue in support of ongoing efforts
by UK, French and other EU ambassadors in Sana'a.
HULL