Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SANAA116
2009-01-21 12:02:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Sanaa
Cable title:  

SALEH TAKES PR HIT FOR DOHA, STOKES PAN-ARAB FLAMES IN

Tags:  PGOV PREL KPAO KPAL YM 
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R 211202Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY SANAA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1007
INFO ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SANAA 000116 


DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO KPAL YM
SUBJECT: SALEH TAKES PR HIT FOR DOHA, STOKES PAN-ARAB FLAMES IN
KUWAIT

SUMMARY
-------

UNCLAS SANAA 000116


DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO KPAL YM
SUBJECT: SALEH TAKES PR HIT FOR DOHA, STOKES PAN-ARAB FLAMES IN
KUWAIT

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


1. President Saleh's decision not to send Yemeni representation to
the emergency Arab League summit called by Qatar for January 16 left
him and the ROYG open to criticism and condemnation by the Yemeni
opposition and the public at large. Observers largely credit
pressure from Saudi Arabia and Egypt for Saleh's decision to pull
out of the summit. Opposition MPs and media publicly excoriated
Saleh and his ruling GPC party for the decision and called for an
investigation. For his part, Saleh's performance at the Kuwait
summit was a fall back to pan-Arab sentiment after a strong negative
reaction by the Yemeni public. End Summary.

SALEH GETS HIT, HITS BACK WITH PAN-ARAB VISION
-------------- -


2. During the week of January 11, President Saleh had publicly
called for unified Arab action on Gaza to include an emergency
session of the Arab League. On January 14, the ROYG officially
announced that it would send a delegation to Doha. When President
Saleh subsequently called off Yemeni participation in the
Qatari-sponsored emergency Arab League meeting scheduled for January
16, Yemeni opposition media had a field day, criticizing him and his
GPC party for "selling out" to Saudi and Egyptian influence.
Sources in the Nasserite Party, part of the opposition Joint Meeting
Parties, condemned the ROYG's reversal on the Qatar summit, calling
it a "prideful affront" to the Palestinians. Others accused Saleh
directly of "selling out" the Palestinians for a financial quid pro
quo from the Saudis.


3. In the run-up to the January 19 Arab League Economic Forum in
Kuwait, Saleh has made a concerted public effort to re-establish
himself as the champion of the Palestinian cause. (Note: In early
2008, Saleh's intervention to mediate between Fatah and Hamas
provided him with positive press coverage and popular support in
Yemen. End note.) Prior to his arrival in Kuwait, Saleh spoke
publicly about the need to "open the gates of 'volunteering' amongst
the Islamic world for the sake of the victory of their brothers in
Palestine." (Note: Use of the word "volunteering" in this context
implies a call to arms. End note.)


4. At the conference, Saleh, struck an unexpected pan-Arabist tone
in his remarks, calling for the establishment of an "international
Arab union" which would facilitate and coordinate efforts by all
Arab states on the behalf of individual members. Saleh said that
the past failures of the Arab League and the Arab leadership in
general necessitated a "change in the way in which Arabs go about
joint works." Saleh went on to describe his plan for the union,
which would realize "complete political, economic, social,
developmental, cultural, security, and defense coordination" between
the member states. Saleh added that the Arab nations have the
economic, human, and military capital to "defend our race, our
homelands, and our Arab and Islamic identities, as well as preserve
our rights and dignity."

OH YEAH, GAZA...
--------------


5. Saleh also presented an action plan for Gaza that was unchanged
from versions leaked in the press prior to the summit. Saleh's
eight-point plan for Gaza contained the following items:

-The immediate and complete withdrawal of the Israelis from Gaza and
the removal of the "traces of aggression" (i.e. barricades and other
tactical infrastructure)

-The opening of all border crossings.

-The end of the blockade on the Palestinian people.

-A review of the foreign relations and all forms of political and
economic cooperation with Israel.

-A coordinated Arab movement to impose a military, political, and
economic blockade on Israel and to prevent Israeli import of
weapons.

-The trial of Israeli leadership responsible for the massacres that
it committed against the innocent people of Gaza in front of the
International Court, which was worse than what occurred with the war
criminals in Serbia.

-The establishment of a fund for the reconstruction of Gaza and to
support the struggle of the Palestinian people.

-Demanding from Israel monetary compensation for the Palestinians.

COMMENT
--------------


6. Palestine, and particularly support for the Hamas government in
Gaza, is normally a safe topic for the Saleh regime. The
Palestinian cause - and the ROYG's role in supporting it - is a
repeated theme in Yemeni political discourse. Yemen's decision to
pull out of the Qatari summit clearly had a negative impact on
Saleh's public image in Yemen, with normally muted direct criticism
of the President becoming full volume. While Yemen remains a minor
player in the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
regionally, domestically there seems to be no greater issue to
motivate the Yemeni populace to public action. Saleh's Arab League
proposal should be seen in this light, as an attempt by Saleh to
rehabilitate his Palestinian credentials in front of a Yemeni public
perplexed by their president's decision to pull out of a summit he
himself called for. End Comment.


SECHE