ROYG PAINTS ROSY PICTURE FOR VISITING STAFFDEL

S E C R E T SANAA 000154

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL OTRA YM
SUBJECT: ROYG PAINTS ROSY PICTURE FOR VISITING STAFFDEL

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

Summary
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1. (U) As part of a recently negotiated MOU on Parliamentary
exchange, the ROYG hosted a delegation of Congressional
staffers from January 20-26. The staffdel was provided
access to the cream of the ROYG's power structure. Three
topics arose as central issues of the visit: Yemen's need for
more international assistance; its recent reforms; and the
bilateral relationship, particularly in terms of CT
cooperation. The Yemeni interlocutors did an excellent job
of staying on message and painted a picture of Yemen that was
somewhat exaggerated in its optimism. End Summary.

A Parliamentary Exchange
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2. (C) As a part of a recently negotiated Parliamentary
exchange program, from January 20 through 26, the ROYG hosted
a delegation of twelve Congressional staffers. The quality
of the delegation's interlocutors showed the significance the
ROYG places on the bilateral relationship with the United
States in general and the success of this trip in particular.
The delegation met with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs,
Planning and International Cooperation, Industry and Trade,
Interior, Education and Finance. The delegation also met
with the Deputy Speaker of Parliament (the Speaker of
Parliament died recently and his successor has not been
chosen),the head of Yemen's Supreme Court and Supreme
Judicial Council, and representatives of the Shoura Council,
the General Investment Authority, the World Bank, the Women's
National Committee, and the Ministry of Interior's Counter
Terrorism Unit. Three themes arose as the ROYG's key
messages to the delegation: Yemen's poverty and need for
increased assistance; reforms the ROYG has undertaken; and
the bilateral relationship, particularly in terms of
counterterrorism cooperation. The interlocutors generally
(and certainly those from the ROYG) painted a rosy if not
entirely accurate image of their country and government.

Poverty and the Need for More Assistance
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3. (C) The Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade,
Planning and International Cooperation all hit on the theme
of Yemen's poverty and low levels of international
assistance. Foreign Minister al-Qirbi said that he feared
Yemen was "lost among the wealthy states of the Gulf," and
therefore was offered less aid from western countries that
grouped Yemen with its rich neighbors. This was repeated by
Minister of Industry and Trade al-Mutawakel and Minister of
Planning and International Cooperation al-Arhabi. The three
men also quoted the same assistance figure, pointing out the
Yemen receives only 15 USD per capita in international
assistance. All three noted that this level of assistance
might be appropriate for oil-rich Gulf countries but was
absurdly low for a country as poor as Yemen.


4. (C) The Minister of Education noted that Yemen's education
budget was only 6.1 billion USD compared to Saudi Arabia's 21
billion USD. Al-Qirbi lamented the indefinite delay of the
signing of the ROYG's Millennium Challenge Corporation
Threshold Country Plan. Deputy Parliament Speaker Raie
appealed for more development assistance, saying that if the
US was not going to offer (increased monetary) help it should
"stop reading the newspaper and offering advice." Several
interlocutors asserted that the U.S. should provide more
development assistance and less military aid, reflecting a
misunderstanding of the fact that the U.S. already does so.
Minister of Interior al-Alimi solicited the delegation for:
a) armored personnel carriers; b) radar and boats for the
Coast Guard; c) funding and assistance with training and
formation of additional Counterterrorism Units; and d)
armored aircraft (namely helicopters) because the
preponderance of weapons in Yemen allowed many to "take pot
shots" at government aircraft.

Progress on Reform
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5. (C) Deputy Speaker Raie lauded the transparency of Yemeni
democracy, the independence of its judiciary, the budget
process, and oversight between different branches of the
ROYG. The Minister of Finance said reform was important and
pressure should continue to be put on the ROYG, but he also
said that things were improving with the procurement law and
the establishment of the Supreme National Authority for
Combating Corruption and its program of mandatory financial
disclosure for government officials. The Minister of
Planning and International Cooperation also lauded this
particular reform. Salah al-Attar of the General Investment
Authority also highlighted current reform projects and
stressed his optimism for the future.


6. (C) Raie said parliament was debating a bill to reform the
Supreme Council on Elections and Referenda (SCER),but noted
that the opposition seemed to waver on the specifics of what
reform it wants for that body. He also noted that proposed
constitutional amendments called for the election of local
councils and council heads and an elected Shoura council.

The Bilateral Relationship and CT Cooperation
--------------


7. (C) The Minister of Finance told the delegation that Yemen
is a unique democracy, one that is paying the price for
embarking on this democratic exercise. He urged the
delegates to visit often and to see the many opportunities
for investment. The Women's National Committee, a quasi-NGO
that is closely tied to the ruling General People's Congress,
complained that women's rights cases that catch U.S. and
international attention do not characterize women's problems
in Yemen. The committee members went on to say that the US
should ratify various international conventions before
advising other countries on women's issues.


8. (C) On the topic of counterterrorism cooperation, both the
Deputy Speaker of Parliament and the head of Yemen's Supreme
Court noted that Yemen has been a victim of terrorism since
before 9/11. Brigadier General Yahya Abdullah Saleh of the
Ministry of Interior's Central Security Organization's
Counterterrorism Unit (CTU) gave a detailed presentation to
the delegation on his U.S.-funded force.


9. (C) Several interlocutors touched on the outstanding issue
of convicted USS Cole bombing conspirator Jamal al-Badawi.
Foreign Minister al-Qirbi complained that the bilateral
relationship should not hinge on a single issue, a
formulation he has used before when talking about Badawi.
Senior Presidential Advisor AbdulKarim al-Iryani stressed
that extraditing Badawi would violate the Yemeni
constitution. (Note: This has been the ROYG's position for
some time. End Note.)
SECHE