UKRAINE: YEMENI ARMS BROKERS SEEKING

S E C R E T KIEV 002523

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT ALSO FOR ISN, EUR/UMB, EUR/PRA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2016
TAGS: ETTC PARM PREL YM UP
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: YEMENI ARMS BROKERS SEEKING
WEAPONS/AMMUNITION - REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION

REF: A. KIEV 2453

B. STATE 99121

C. KIEV 319

Classified By: Acting Political Counselor George Kent for reasons 1.4(b
,c,d)


1. (U) This is an action request. Please advise how to
respond to MFA inquiry in para 3.


2. (S) MFA Arms Control and Military-Technical Cooperation
Counselor Serhiy Kucherenko requested clarification of the
following point contained in our demarche of June 22 (taken
from ref B) regarding arms transfers to Yemen:

"Moreover, given the unusual quantity and highly destructive
nature of some of the munitions at issue in this reported
case, we urge you to suspend any plans to complete such
transactions, regardless of the recipient of the delivery, if
they are in fact under consideration by UKRINMASH or any
state trading agency. Similarly, we urge you to stop any
such planned transfers by Immersion Hi Tech Ltd or any other
private Ukrainian companies."


3. (S) Kucherenko inquired whether we were urging suspension
of pending contracts only with Yemeni brokers. Further, he
inquired whether we were urging suspension of contracts with
Yemen by all Ukrainian arms traders, whether "state trading
agency" or "private Ukrainian company." Finally, Kucherenko
asked whether this restriction should apply only to possible
export of large quantities of specific munitions. He noted
that our clarification was required to further process our
information correctly.


4. (C) Comment: Kucherenko's question indicates the
seriousness with which our Ukrainian government (GOU)
interlocutors take our requests. Given perceptions that our
requests seem to operate according to shifting guidelines,
GOU officials will probably desire as much specificity in our
response as possible. We also take this opportunity to
remind that the MFA has previously asked for general
information on USG arms export restrictions (ref C, sent
January 24, 2006) to which we have not yet responded.


5. (U) Visit Embassy Kiev's classified website:
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev.
Taylor