C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 001516

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2015
TAGS: OPRC PHUM SMIG PREL PARM KCRM KWMN KBCT YM KNP DEMARCHE TRAFFICKING PERSONS COUNTER TERRORISM
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DELIVERS TIP, GTMO, ARAB-ISRAELI
DEMARCHES: DISCUSSES IRAN WITH FM

REF: A. SECSTATE 100432

B. SECSTATE 97599

C. SECSTATE 95828

D. SECSTATE 92662

Classified By: Ambassador Thomas C. Krajeski for reasons 1.5 b and d.


1. (C) Summary. Ambassador delivered reftel demarches to
Minister of Foreign Affairs Qirbi on June 1 on the Yemen
Trafficking in Persons report, return of Yemenis from
Guantanamo, and Arab League support for the Arab-Israeli
peace process. The FM also discussed details of his recent
trip to Iran, including Iran's positions on al-Houthi,
nuclear proliferation, and Iraq. End summary.

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Yemen Cautions Iran on al-Houthi Support
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2. (C) Just returned from an official visit to Tehran, Qirbi
said Yemen engaged the Government of Iran in a frank
discussion about the al-Houthi rebellion. Iran was
"misinformed about the nature of the al-Houthi rebellion in
Saada," contended Qirbi, saying Iran was wrong in its belief
that the ROYG is waging a war against Shi'a. While al-Houthi
and his followers follow Twelver Shi'a theology, they are few
in number. The vast majority of Yemenis in the Sa,ada
region are Zaydi, and in Qirbi,s view are not Shi,a as they
follow Islamic jurisprudence that is closer to the Sunni
tradition. Qirbi also denied that the ROYG was persecuting
Shi'a clergy or confiscating religious texts. Following
recent public statements from Iran in support of the
rebellion, Qirbi said that during his visit he warned Iran
"against meddling in Yemen's internal affairs."


3. (C) On the issue of nuclear proliferation, Qirbi said Iran
continues to believe it has the right to enrich uranium for
peaceful purposes but is willing to discuss inspection
mechanisms. Iran does not feel threatened by sanctions, said
Qirbi, as they have extensive domestic capacity. (Note:

Yemen officially opposes all nuclear arms in the region. End
note.) In Qirbi's opinion, Iran should be flexible and
demonstrate it has no negative nuclear intentions. On
upcoming elections, Qirbi agreed with most political
analysts, saying that Rafsanjani appears likely to win the
presidency as a compromise candidate between reformers and
conservative clerics. He also said that Iranian officials
are confident in the newly elected Iraqi Government and its
ability to control terrorism, and viewed instability in Iraq
as comparable to their own history following the Iranian
Revolution.

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Reducing Poverty Will End Child Trafficking
--------------


4. (SBU) Ambassador notified the FM that Yemen had been
listed for the first time as a Tier 2 country in this year's
Trafficking in Persons report (ref A). Ambassador raised the
issue of organized trafficking of Yemeni children to Saudi
Arabia for exploitation as beggars and laborers as of Yemen's
major TIP problems that the ROYG needs to combat. Ambassador
recognized the difficulty in taking on this problem given
Yemen's limited resources, but noted the importance of the
ROYG building a comprehensive TIP strategy to decrease this
and other TIP-related practices in Yemen. Qirbi responded
that emigration to KSA is not essentially a trafficking
problem, but rather the result of extreme poverty driving
youth to see work across the border. The solution to this
problem, said Qirbi, is development and poverty alleviation.

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No Enthusiasm for Arab League Boycott
--------------


5. (C) Ambassador delivered ref B demarche encouraging Arab
League capitals to support the Middle East Peace Process, and
urged Yemen to oppose continuation or expansion of the
boycott against companies that do business with Israel. The
Arab League will continue to support the Palestinian
Authority, said Qirbi, and will make the necessary
contributions to the Authority's budget. Although some Arab
states continue to see the boycott as a useful tool to
pressure Israel, explained Qirbi, in reality it has been
relaxed in recent years and few countries actually implement
it. The boycott will ease automatically without pressure
from the outside, insisted the FM, if the peace process is
successful.

-------------- --
GTMO Returnees: "We Have Nothing Against Them"
-------------- --


6. (C) Ambassador delivered ref C demarche on continued
detention of Yemeni prisoners, and ref D demarche on the
return of five Yemeni prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. The FM
received names of the prisoners in question, and for a second
time our request for guarantees that these Yemenis not be
mistreated upon their return. If they are Yemenis, said
Qirbi, and "the U.S. has nothing against them, then we have
nothing against them."
Krajeski