Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10STATE9668
2010-01-30 01:34:00
SECRET
Secretary of State
Cable title:  

(U) Secretary Clinton’s January 22, 2010

Tags:  OVIP CLINTON HILLARY PGOV YM 
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O 300134Z JAN 10
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY SANAA IMMEDIATE 
INFO AMEMBASSY RIYADH IMMEDIATE 
AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE
S E C R E T STATE 009668
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2020
TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY PGOV YM
SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton’s January 22, 2010
conversation with Yemeni Foreign Minister
Abu Bakr al-Qirbi
S E C R E T STATE 009668
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2020
TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY PGOV YM
SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton’s January 22, 2010
conversation with Yemeni Foreign Minister
Abu Bakr al-Qirbi

1. (U) Classified by NEA Assistant Secretary
Jeffrey D. Feltman. Reason: 1.4 (d).

2. (U) January 21, 2010; 2:45pm; Washington, DC, USA

3. (SBU) Participants:
U.S.
The Secretary
NEA A/S Jeff Feltman
S/CT Ambassador Daniel Benjamin
PA A/S P.J. Crowley
Andrew MacDonald (notetaker)
Yemen
Foreign Minister AbuBakr al-Qirbi
Ambassador Abdulwahab al-Hajjri
Minister Abdulhakim al-Eryani
Political Officer Khaled al-Kathiri
Public Affairs Officer Mohammed al-Basha
Diplomatic Attache Belal A. Abdo

4. (S) SUMMARY. Secretary Clinton met with Yemeni
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abu Bakr al-Qirbi on January

21. The two discussed Yemen’s renewed focus on counter
terrorism and how the U.S. could best support these
efforts, including counter radicalization efforts
designed to limit the potential for future terrorist
recruitment. The FM asserted that his country’s
problems were a result of insufficient international
assistance and the Secretary noted that assistance
needed to go hand in hand with economic reform and
political dialogue. Both agreed on their desire for a
productive meeting in London on January 27 where
international support for Yemen could be consolidated.
The Yemenis argued that the Houthi conflict in northern
Yemen was fomented and supported by Iran, a claim the
U.S. disputed, encouraging a diplomatic solution to the
conflict. The Secretary raised her concern at continued
problems with diplomatic pouch shipments at Sana’a
International Airport, the FM responded that this was
being resolved between his ministry and the Embassy and
that additional trust would go a long way toward
lessening this bilateral irritant. END SUMMARY.
--------------
COUNTER TERRORISM
--------------

5. (S) The Secretary and Foreign Minister began the
meeting with a discussion of Yemen’s counter terrorism
(CT) efforts, with the Secretary noting that the U.S.
continues to partner with Yemen to face the common
threat of Al-Qaida. The Foreign Minister responded that
he had discussed this issue at all of his meetings in
Washington this week, noting that this was an issue that
involved not only fighting terrorists, but also dealing
with the root causes of radicalization. The U.S. is
helping Yemen "do the job on its own" the FM added, and
this is far better than the U.S. trying to conduct CT

operations on foreign soil.

6. (S) The FM requested additional U.S. assistance with
its CT forces’ transportation needs, noting that
currently their armed forces were unable to travel to
remote parts of the country, or conduct sensitive site
exploitation of sites struck by air, due to their
limited air transport abilities.
--------------
ASSISTANCE
--------------

7. (C) To counter radicalization, the FM asserted,
Yemen needs economic development, which means more
economic assistance from international donors, including
in particular Yemen’s neighbors. Throughout the meeting
he drove home this point, including asserting that as
security assistance increases to Yemen, so too should
development assistance. If they do not go up in tandem,
the FM warned, the people of Yemen will not understand
the U.S. is trying to help them. The Secretary
responded that the U.S. was increasing development and
security assistance to help stabilize Yemen. We are
encouraged, she continued, by Yemen’s own economic
reform efforts, including President Saleh’s 10-point
plan, and that the U.S. wanted to help leverage support
for Yemen. Yemenis are entrepreneurial and need to see
opportunities inside of Yemen.
--------------
LONDON MEETING
--------------

8. (C) On the London Meeting on January 27, the FM
noted that the Prime Minister, Ali Mujawar, would
represent Yemen along with the Deputy Prime Ministers
for Security and Economic Development. He will also
attend and the Secretary responded that she looked
forward to meeting with them in London. The Secretary
explained that the U.S. expected the London meeting to
bring additional attention and support to Yemen to
assist it with its development and security. The core
principles of helping Yemen secure its borders, maintain
its unity, provide for its people, and deny safe haven
for terrorists; and the necessity of economic and
political reforms to achieve these ends were cited by
Secretary Clinton as overriding goals.

9. (C) The Foreign Minister explained that his
government’s goals were to see the international
community support increased assistance to help Yemen
face its economic, security, and counter-radicalization
challenges. Development assistance should match
security assistance, he asserted (again). Yemen’s unity
was paramount and a strong message on this issue was
important for the Yemeni people. The southerners who
want to separate from the country risk fragmenting the
state and causing anarchy, he claimed. Let Yemen
resolve its own internal issues and address these
grievances, the FM continued. Outside mediators will
not work, if you invite Egypt to mediate the Qataris
will be upset, if you invite Qatar everyone else will
complain. President Saleh himself is planning a
national dialogue with the political opposition, the
southerners, the Houthis, everyone, on January 31.
--------------
HOUTHI CONFLICT
--------------

10. (S) The Secretary then raised the Houthi conflict
in northern Yemen, asserting that there was no military
solution and that it was straining the resources of the
Yemeni government, which could be going towards CT
efforts and to support the country’s development. We
need a ceasefire, she continued, and demonstrating the
government’s resolve to settle the conflict through
dialogue was important, even though the Houthi rebels
had proven in the past to be untrustworthy.

11. (S) The FM responded with a history of the Houthi
conflict, claiming that every time the government had
attempted to settle with these rebls, they had taken
advantage of the armistice to rearm and take more
territory. The government needs to take a tough stance
with the Houthis this time or it will look weak to its
opponents and lose credibility with the Yemeni people.
The Houthi demands (freedom of worship, speech,
assembly) were already protected by Yemen’s constitution
he claimed, implying that these claims were not the
basis for their grievance. They are supported by Iran
and are like Hizbullah or Hamas, he continued, and they
must be dealt with militarily so that they reach a point
where compromise is possible.

12. (S) The Secretary disagreed with the FM’s assertion
that Iran was supporting the Houthis, noting that the
U.S. continues to see no hard evidence of Iranian
involvement. The FM responded that they had evidence,
including the capture of an Iranian vessel, but provided
no further details. A/S Feltman followed up on this line
of reasoning, noting concern in the USG that, while Iran
was not militarily involved now, it would seek to become
more involved due to the opportunity created by the
conflict and by the rhetoric against Iran from Yemen and
Saudi Arabia. This needs to be settled now, he
asserted, before it becomes much broader.

13. (S) The FM agreed that, in the end, there needed to
be dialogue and development to truly end the problems in
the north, but did not believe this was possible absent
a military victory. The Houthis recently accepted the
government’s five principles and the government had
responded to their entreaties; however the FM noted that
the Houthis had to begin to implement these principals
before their professions of peace could be believed.
--------------
DIPLOMATIC POUCHES
--------------

14. (SBU) On the issue of diplomatic pouch shipments
for Embassy Sana’a, the Secretary raised our concerns
that pouch shipments were being held up and that an
agreement signed years ago to limit shipments to 10/week
was not reasonable in light of the increased levels of
personnel and assistance transiting through Sana’a
airport. Many of the shipments held up, Secretary
Clinton explained, are designed for use by U.S.
personnel providing training and assistance to the
government of Yemen. The FM responded that he had
expected to discuss this issue, and that he had been
working with the Embassy in Sana’a to address our
concerns. There is a problem of trust, he explained,
and the U.S. Embassy needs to better detail its shipment
contents so that there are no surprises.
Telecommunications equipment is particularly concerning,
he added, as it may interfere with the wavelengths of
equipment used by the Yemeni government. While the MFA
is merely an intermediary in this discussion, the FM
asserted that he expected this to not be an issue in the
future with better communication between the U.S. and
Yemen.
CLINTON