AMBASSADOR AND IRYANI DISCUSS NEXT STEPS ON MIDDLE

UNCLAS SANAA 001569

SIPDIS

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM KMPI DEMOCRATIC REFORM
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND IRYANI DISCUSS NEXT STEPS ON MIDDLE
EAST DEMOCRACY CHARTER

REF: A. STATE 94380

B. SANAA 94352


1. On June 6 Ambassador and Dr. Abd al-Karim al-Iryani
discussed Yemen's Democracy Charter proposal unveiled at the
May Community of Democracies meeting in Santiago, Chile.
Presidential Advisor and former Foreign Minister Iryani
attended the conference as a representative of Yemen's NGO
community, along with Deputy Foreign Minister Mustafa Noman
for the MFA.


2. Iryani told Ambassador that his regional counterparts
responded positively to Yemen's proposal for a Middle East
democracy charter. Iryani said that Arab League Secretary
General Amr Musa was particularly interested in the charter.
Iryani, however, stated that in his opinion the AL was not
the best forum in which to advance the Yemeni proposal.
Instead, Iryani advocates taking the issue to the regional
NGO community in order to attain a broad consensus on a draft
text from civil society. These groups could then shop the
charter to their own governments and public to gage national
views and illicit support.


3. Iryani suggests introducing a draft democracy charter for
the Middle East at the January 2006 'Sanaa Two' Democracy and
Human Rights Conference. (Note: The first conference,
entitled "Sanaa Inter-Governmental Regional Conference on
Democracy, Human Rights, and the Role of the International
Criminal Court" was held January 2004. End Note).
Krajeski