YEMEN RESPONDS O THE PORT SECURITY DEMARCHE

UNCLAS SANAA 000030

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP:MACDONALD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ETRD EWT KHLS PREL PTER YM
SUBJECT: YEMEN RESPONDS O THE PORT SECURITY DEMARCHE

REF: 08 STATE 13520


1. SUMMARY. During the week of January 3 ) , Post
delivered the reftel points to the Ministy of Foreign
Affairs, Ministry of Transportation Yemen Coast Guard, and
Ministry of Industry and rade. Other relevant individuals
were also notiied. Overall, the ROYG defended its port
securiy procedures, but would welcome another visit by a
technical U.S. Coast Guard team. END SUMMARY.


2. The Charg delivered reftel demarche to Foreign Minister
Abubakr al-Qirbi during a January 4 meeting on another topic.
Al-Qirbi promised to pass along the message to all relevant
ministries.


3. On January 5, the Charg discussed the message with
Minister of Transportation Khaled Alwazir. Alwazir is well
versed in various aspects of the International Ship and Port
Facility Security (ISPS) code. He said that he personally
oversees port inspections to verify that they are compliant
with the Port Facility Security Plan. Alwazir was familiar
with the 2007 U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) visits to Aden and
Hodeidah, and said he received a letter following the
assessments congratulating the ROYG on its security
procedures. He expressed confusion over why the assessment
of the ports has since changed. The Charg explained that
the USG is concerned about the level of port security in
Yemen in light of the successful terrorist attacks on western
interests in 2007 and 2008. As a valued counterterrorism
partner, the Charg continued, it is in the best interest of
both the USG and the ROYG to work together to resolve any
port security concerns. Alwazir said that the USCG could
visit anytime, and he asked to send his maritime security
inspectors to the U.S. to see how the U.S. operates its port
security plan.


4. Chairman of the Yemen Coast Guard (YCG),General Ali
Rasa, also appeared perplexed by the message when Poloff
delivered the demarche on January 7. Reviewing each point,
the General told Poloff that the ROYG was already in
compliance with the recommendations, which he repeatedly
called "too general with no specifics." Rasa said that he
thought the assessment would review the types of security
equipment necessary for the YCG to expand its capability, but
this information is not included. He promised to review the
message in further detail and provide any additional comments
or questions.


5. Minister of Industry and Trade Yahya al-Mutawakel
requested additional assistance for the YCG during a January
7 meeting with the Charg to discuss the message.
Al-Mutawakel had previously reviewed the points sent to him
by the Minister of Transportation, and echoed the sentiment
that the message was contradictory to the ROYG's successful
2007 assessment.


6. Post further sent reftel points to the governors of Aden,
Hadramawt, and Hodeidah, requesting that the governors
forward the points to the security directors at the ports of
Aden, Hodeidah, and Mukalla. The Charg also sent the points
to the Shura Council's maritime expert. Relevant British
trainers and advisors who work with the YCG in Aden will be
notified of the points following their January 10 return to
Yemen so that they can help reinforce our message.


7. All ROYG officials contacted welcomed a potential USCG
visit and Post is standing by to help facilitate. Post's
point of contact for port security issues, Political Officer
Kimberly Phelan, can be reached at 967-1-755-2156 or
PhelanKG@state.gov.


8. COMMENT. Undoubtedly, a USCG visit will be necessary to
explain the technical instructions in the recommendations.
As it stands, the ROYG appears to genuinely believe that it
is in compliance with ISPS code. The YCG's repeated requests
for equipment are not unreasonable; the organization's
resources are stretched thin. Both the Minister of
Transportation and the YCG agree that security in Mukalla is
inadequate. Without a deeper budget and more assistance, it
will be a Herculean task for the YCG to increase security
measures already in place, let alone expand its capability to
other ports. If possible, Post recommends an individual
assessment for each of Yemen's ports. This will allow Yemen
to start implementing the reftel recommendations in Aden
soonest, where the vast majority of Yemen's shipping traffic
ports, while minimizing demands on the ROYG. This would also
minimize the impact on the shipping industry by applying
conditions of entry only on ships that have called at a
Yemeni port other than Aden within five port calls of a U.S.
arrival. END COMMENT.
BRYAN