Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SANAA2364
2007-12-31 10:24:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Sanaa
Cable title:  

YEMENIS CONTINUE TO HOPE FOR THE RETURN OF SHEIKH

Tags:  PGOV PREL PTER YM 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHYN #2364/01 3651024
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 311024Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY SANAA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8682
C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 002364 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER YM
SUBJECT: YEMENIS CONTINUE TO HOPE FOR THE RETURN OF SHEIKH
AL-MOAYED

REF: A. SANAA 2082

B. SANAA 2265

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


SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 002364

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER YM
SUBJECT: YEMENIS CONTINUE TO HOPE FOR THE RETURN OF SHEIKH
AL-MOAYED

REF: A. SANAA 2082

B. SANAA 2265

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


SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) Sheikh al-Moayed recently sent a letter to President
Saleh asking him to sign an "extradition treaty" with the
United States. A ROYG source clarified that, if al-Moayed
understood the meaning of extradition and its illegality
under the Yemeni constitution, he would not have requested
it. This letter appears before a backdrop of intense hope
among some in Yemen for the return of al-Moayed to his home
country. The strong feelings of support for him would likely
lead to an increase in anti-American sentiment if he were to
die in U.S. custody.

A SURPRISE REQUEST FROM AL-MOAYED
--------------


2. (C) Since December 26, Yemeni independent and government
media sources have been reporting that convicted terrorist
financier Sheikh Mohammed Ali al-Moayed wrote a letter to
President Saleh asking him to sign an "extradition treaty"
with the United States that would allow him to return to
Yemen to serve the remainder of his sentence. Press reports
indicate that December 28 sermons in Sana'a's Grand Mosque
were devoted to al-Moayed's case. Assistant Deputy Foreign
Minister Khalid al-Akwa confirmed to PolOff on December 29
that the President had received the letter. He was quick,
however, to specify that al-Moayed's supporters did not
understand the full meaning of an extradition treaty.
(Comment: This would seem to imply that al-Akwa did not
believe that al-Moayed had written the letter himself. End
Comment.) He further added that, if they had understood the
impossibility of signing such an agreement under the Yemeni
Constitution, they never would have suggested it.


3. (C) Ahmed Arman of the National Organization for Rights
and Freedoms (HOOD) confirmed to PolOff on December 29 that
his organization is in possession of a copy of the letter.
In spite of the fact that the organization's head, Mohammed
Naji Alaw, is al-Moayed's lawyer, Arman said that HOOD has no
idea what inspired al-Moayed to send the letter at this time.
The ROYG recently ratified a prisoner transfer treaty with
Spain. It is possible that this news was the inspiration for
al-Moayed's message. (Note: The Spanish DCM clarified on
December 29 that the treaty would allow only for the return
of convicted non-Yemenis to Spain and that any such transfer
would require agreement from both governments and the
prisoner himself. End Note.)

HEARTFELT PLEAS
--------------


4. (C) On December 12, a delegation led by HOOD Deputy
Director Khaled al-Anisi and Abbas al-Moayed, Mohamed
al-Moayed's brother, met with PolOff to deliver a request
that the case be reexamined. Al-Anisi began by asserting
that all of Yemen is united in believing that al-Moayed could
never have knowingly financed terrorism, saying that
al-Moayed's teachings had always eschewed violence and that
he was the first person in Yemen to publicly condemn al-Qaeda
and what it stands for. He emphasized that the delegation
was not asking that the U.S. courts reach a specific verdict
but only that they examine the case again. He said that the
verdict is causing some in the region to believe that the
U.S. is no longer fighting a war on terror but is fighting a
war on Islam. Al-Anisi claimed that some figures in the ROYG
had recently been saying that President Bush has told
President Saleh that he will release al-Moayed "when the time
is right."


5. (C) Also among the delegates was Abdul-Rahman al-Bukiri of
the Yemeni Bar Association, who reiterated al-Anisi's
assertion that everyone in Yemen believes al-Moayed to be
innocent. Ahmed Naji Ahmed, the Secretary General of the
Yemeni Writers and Authors Union, lamented that the fact that
al-Moayed was tried in New York, the location of the 9/11
attacks, biased the case. He went on to say that the
delegation views the U.S. as a just country that cares about
rights and freedoms and hopes that the case will be resolved.
The other members of the delegation representing
organizations as diverse as the Yemeni Doctors' Syndicate and
the Union of Women's Forum all repeated roughly the same
message.

COMMENT

--------------


6. (C) There are many among the Yemeni people, press and
government who continue to believe that Sheikh al-Moayed is
innocent (reftels),and who continue to hope for al-Moayed's
return to Yemen. In this atmosphere, any story that hints at
his possible return becomes instantly newsworthy. His death,
should it occur in U.S. custody, will likely lead to a surge
in anti-American feelings (ref B).
SECHE