AMBASSADOR PUSHES AGAIN ON BADAWI BUT FM DOESN'T

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 002362

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/29/2017
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV YM
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR PUSHES AGAIN ON BADAWI BUT FM DOESN'T
BUDGE

Classified By: Ambassador Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

SUMMARY
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1. (C) On December 30, the Ambassador reiterated to Foreign
Minister al-Qirbi that US custody of Jamal al-Badawi is
non-negotiable. Al-Qirbi responded again that such a
resolution is "politically and legally impossible" and stated
that the ROYG would await what it understood would be a POTUS
decision on the matter. End Summary.

The Irresistible Force and the Immovable Object
-------------- --


2. (C) In a December 30 meeting, the Ambassador related to
Foreign Minister AbuBakr al-Qirbi the results of his
mid-December discussions with key figures in Washington. The
Ambassador told al-Qirbi that senior officials at State, FBI
and NSC all delivered the same message -- US custody of Jamal
al-Badawi is the only acceptable resolution to the current
situation. The Ambassador added that, in the absence of such
a resolution, the Millennium Challenge Corporation Threshold
Country Plan for Yemen will remain frozen and Secretary
Rice's attendance at the Forum for the Future will be
impossible.


3. (C) Al-Qirbi responded by noting that Yemeni Ambassador
to the United States Abdulwahab Al-Hajjri had recently met
with Deputy National Security Advisor Jeffrey and received
the same message and had delivered the same response. He
added that Jeffrey reportedly said he would carry the message
to President Bush, noting that the ROYG would await the POTUS
response. Al-Qirbi then suggested that, as the positions of
both sides were clear, we should "leave it at that" for now.


4. (C) The Ambassador noted that he had conveyed, in his
meetings, the willingness of the Foreign Minister to travel
to the United States to discuss the issue, or, alternatively,
to have senior U.S. officials travel to Yemen to meet with
President Saleh. The Ambassador also related to al-Qirbi an
observation by FBI Director Mueller that, while any sort of
prisoner exchange is out of the question, the DOJ is prepared
to consider the return of jailed Yemeni cleric Sheikh
al-Moayed as part of a negotiated resolution to the case.
Al-Qirbi responded that such a return would ease pressure on
the ROYG.

Comment
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5. (C) Al-Qirbi maintained the same position that ROYG
officials have taken since the beginning of the Badawi case.
Post will continue to push for the surrender of Badawi to
U.S. custody. In the meantime, we welcome clarification
regarding the ROYG's apparent understanding that this issue
will presently be taken up at POTUS level, so that we can
disabuse them if necessary of any misapprehension.
SECHE