(S) FRENCH APPLAUD YEMENI STEPS TO CURB SA/LW

S E C R E T PARIS 002349 SIPDIS DEPT PLEASE PASS TO NP/ECNP, NEA/ARP, EUR, PM/WRA, AND EAP/CM. E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2015 TAGS: PARM PREL MASS ETTC FR YE SUBJECT: (S) FRENCH APPLAUD YEMENI STEPS TO CURB SA/LW PROLIFERATION REF: SECSTATE 60618 Classified By: Political Minister/Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt for Reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (S) Reftel points were delivered to Small Arms/Light Weapons (SA/LW) action officer, Jean-Francois Guillaume in the MFA's Bureau of Strategic Affairs on April 4. In a follow-up conversation on April 6, Guillaume told poloff that France is glad to see that Yemen, a country notorious for its abundance of SA/LW, appears to be taking the issue more seriously. He said that information on recent changes to Yemen's regulations, especially those concerning the validity of end-user certificates, would be forwarded to the French Commission for Export Control of Armaments and to the French Embassy in Sana'a. He added, however, that France does not deal in small arms to the extent that countries like Germany and the Czech Republic do, and that such information would be more pertinent to them. He also warned that Sudan, given its proximity to Yemen and its growing capacity as an arms producer, is well poised to benefit if there is a black market arms vacuum for SA/LW. ¶2. (C) Guillaume said that an official public statement from Yemen addressing their new attitude towards the proliferation of SA/LW would serve to put pressure on other countries (notably Egypt) who are blocking SA/LW initiatives. He said that there are several opportunities at upcoming seminars on SA/LW that would serve as excellent fora for such a statement. ¶3. (U) Dushanbe minimize considered. LEACH