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 
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¶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 
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¶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