RIOT IN SHABWA AFTER QUR'AN DESECRATED BY FRENCH

UNCLAS SANAA 000446 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL YM SUBJECT: RIOT IN SHABWA AFTER QUR'AN DESECRATED BY FRENCH LNG EMPLOYEE ¶1. (U) On the afternoon of March 25, a French Total employee of The Yemen Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant in Balhaf in the Shabwa governorate reportedly desecrated a Qur'an during an argument with a Yemeni employee regarding contracts. The Frenchman allegedly tore out pages of the Qur'an, threw it down to the floor, and according to some accounts, stepped on it. The French Ambassador confirmed to Charge, and Yemen LNG stated in a press release, that a French employee had enraged a local, but did not elaborate on the origin of the clash. ¶2. (U) A riot resulted that eventually spread to a crowd of ¶400. At least four Yemenis and the French employee were injured, a helicopter and automobiles were set ablaze, and a gas export terminal under construction was damaged. Yemeni security forces from Ataq eventually put down the riot. According to American citizens on the ground, the situation was calm as of 2100 local time, and remained calm today, March 26. The seven American citizens in Balhaf were not harmed and are in contact with the Embassy's American Citizen Services officer. ¶3. (U) NOTE: The Yemen LNG project is a joint venture between Total and the Yemeni Government. Total, which employs a number of foreigners, provides most of the management staff, while Yemenis comprise the remainder of the project's personnel. END NOTE KHOURY