YEMENIS APPLAUD OBAMA, HOPE FOR 'NEW PAGE' in US-ARAB

UNCLAS SANAA 000119 DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KPAO YM SUBJECT: YEMENIS APPLAUD OBAMA, HOPE FOR 'NEW PAGE' in US-ARAB RELATIONS SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. As expected, the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States garnered positive reaction from the Yemeni public. Yemeni op-eds published on January 21 uniformly gave positive marks to Obama's speech and generally had a positive outlook for his administration. Yemeni attendees at the Embassy-sponsored Inauguration Watch reception applauded several times through the President's speech, with at least a couple of guests shedding tears of joy. Yemeni expectations of changes in U.S. foreign policy remain low, however most agree that the image of the United States can only improve under an Obama administration. End Summary. 'ISLAM IS A PART OF AMERICA' -------------- ¶2. The top story for all of the Yemeni press for January 21 was the inauguration of President Barack Obama. While the official press delivered matter-of-fact coverage of the events, including reprinting an Arabic translation of the inaugural address, the independent Yemeni press provided analysis of President Obama's remarks and speculated what his presidency could mean for the Arab world. Munir Al-Mawri, the noted Yemeni-American columnist based in Washington D.C., pointed out that President Obama had made a clear distinction in his speech, differentiating between Arabs and Muslims on one hand and "killers and terrorists" on the other. Al-Mawri saw Obama's words of warning to would-be terrorists as "aimed directly at the killers and criminals, not at any one people or peoples, or even to one country." Al-Mawri lauded Obama for his reminder to the Muslim world that "that Islam is a part of America, and the enmity he holds is for murders and criminals, regardless of their religion, creed, or color, and not Islam." Al-Mawri also noted that Obama used the word "terrorism" only a single time in his speech. ¶3. Al-Mawri also praised Obama for introducing the term "understanding between nations" into American political discourse, placing it in juxtaposition to the "clash of civilizations" that he says marked the last administration. "It appears that Barack Obama intended this new term for the Arabs and Muslims, even if he didn't mention them by name, because he followed it up with, 'We will begin to leave Iraq for the Iraqi people, and to deepen the peace in Afghanistan in cooperation with our leading allies' just as he stressed that America would not apologize for its lifestyle and indicated that he would defend American values and in return would not interfere in the affairs of others." ¶4. Another independent journalist writing for NewsYemen.net, Yasser Hassan Thamer, offered insight as to how Obama's impact could be immediately felt. Thamer opined that currently, "the US is suffering from a strategic defeat, a broken imperial plan, an economic crisis that cannot be ignored." If the United States had changed course abruptly under the Bush administration, Thamer offered that "the world would say, 'This is an American admission of its defeat and dissolution!' This is what is in store for America's future and others will become more daring, especially the powers and peoples rising up against it. However, if someone named Barack Hussein Obama comes, Black with Islamic roots, carrying American traditional values, this will make it possible to say that any change he makes is due to moral reasons or Obama's own personal values. In this there is no American defeat....Thus, the changes will appear as if they occurred for moral reasons, assuaging the feelings of the others who do not trust America or those who wish to see America defeated and dissolved." ¶5. Thamer continued to offer his insight on how America's image would be changed through the election of an African-American president. For Thamer, "the election of a Black president for the first time in a country with a bad reputation like America will make it necessary for the rest of the world to deal with America in new ways. There is a new, different form for America, vital, that can be an example the whole world can respect - just as a president with Islamic roots will ease American's conviction in its war on terror. This will be reflected in the feelings of Muslims, that they are with a president that is more able to have an understanding of a number of issues without being arrogant or conceited, which serves American goals in the Islamic world." THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WHEN YEMENIS CRY -------------- ¶6. The Embassy hosted approximately 50 Yemeni VIPs from all sectors at the Ambassador's residence the evening of January 20 to watch the broadcast of the Inauguration. Guests enjoyed watching the visuals of the large turnout on the National Mall and asked many questions about the traditions associated with presidential inaugurations. Once the oath of office was administered and President Obama began his address, the guests fell silent and followed his words carefully. There were several points of applause from the Yemeni guests, most notably at Obama's mention of Islam being a part of the American identity and when he pledged a more inclusive mode of foreign relations. Ruling General People's Conference party (GPC) MP Nabil Basha told emboff that "this is a great day not just for Democrats, but for democracy." Opposition MP Shawki Shamsan added that "Obama will be a good president for America and for the world." Even before the conclusion of President Obama's remarks, Yemeni guests began receiving text messages from friends and/or news services, highlighting in particular the portions directed to the Islamic world and to poor nations. SECHE