VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHYN #1666/01 2561243
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131243Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY SANAA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2757

UNCLAS SANAA 001666 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO YM
SUBJECT: FOLLOW UP TO THE CAIRO SPEECH: NEXT STEPS FOR 
CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT 
 
SUMMARY 
 
 
¶1. Yemen's daunting internal challenges present many 
opportunities for more robust US engagement in the areas that 
President Barack Obama outlined in his June 4 speech in 
Cairo.  Consultations with Yemeni interlocutors point to 
continuing opportunities to support Yemen's government and 
civil society in improving educational opportunities, 
developing democratic institutions, and securing the rights 
of women.  Meanwhile, the Palestinian question and the status 
of Guantanamo detainees significantly shape Yemeni popular 
perceptions of the US and are critical to achieving a "new 
beginning" in Yemeni-US relations.  END SUMMARY. 
 
CONSULTATIVE STRATEGY 
 
 
¶2. The areas of potential cooperation between the US and the 
Muslim world that President Barack Obama outlined in his June 
4 speech in Cairo resonated with Yemeni interlocutors. Post 
organized a variety of consultations on the speech with key 
interlocutors, ranging from formal events hosted at the 
Ambassador's residence to informal conversations with 
business contacts in Aden.  Consultations with youth were 
particularly important, and 'watch parties' were organized 
with students studying English at several institutions in 
Sana'a, followed by discussions of the President's remarks. 
Through these consultations, post discerned opportunities to 
follow up on the speech's key themes. 
 
EDUCATION: THE WELL THAT NEVER RUNS DRY 
 
 
¶3. As oil reserves dwindle and the population swells, Yemen 
is seeking to develop a skilled labor force to diversify the 
economy and integrate with lucrative neighboring markets. 
President Obama's pledge to increase citizen exchanges and 
educational and scientific cooperation attracted attention 
from educational administrators and policy makers as they 
seek to further develop the country's human capital. 
 
¶4. One of the best ways that post can provide educational 
support in Yemen is through English-language instruction, 
which continues to be in high demand.  The post-managed Yemen 
America Language Institute (YALI) is a flagship institution 
for English instruction in Sana'a, where many up-and-coming 
ROYG and private sector leaders study.  Through partner 
organization Amideast, post is currently expanding our 
English Access Microscholarships program into rural areas of 
Yemen that are recruiting grounds for extremist 
organizations, including the governorates of Abyan, Lahj, and 
Hadramaut.  The Access program is a highly cost-effective way 
to expose underprivileged Yemeni youth to intercultural 
dialogue and to give them a sought-after and marketable 
skill: English-language proficiency.  USAID is also managing 
basic education projects designed to increase the quality of 
educational services and boost enrollment at the primary 
level. 
 
¶5. Interlocutors frequently request the development of direct 
partnerships between US and Yemeni universities, to increase 
the number of students traveling between the two countries, 
increase capacity-building programs for Yemeni university 
administrators and faculty, and to collaborate on research 
projects in areas of local need.  Interlocutors also request 
increases in the numbers of Fulbright fellows and other 
exchange participants sent from Yemen to the US.  Currently, 
only four to six Yemeni Fulbrighters travel to the US each 
year for masters degree programs.  American Fulbright 
students and scholars were evacuated from Yemen in the spring 
of 2008 and security policies have not yet permitted their 
return. 
 
¶6.  In addition to educational exchanges, scientific and 
technical cooperation will be essential in helping Yemen to 
overcome chronic scarcities of water and electricity.  In the 
immediate future, Yemen will need to develop new sources of 
fresh water, conserve existing non-renewable water sources, 
and increase local electricity generation capacity to address 
worsening nationwide blackouts.  Cooperation in fields like 
biotechnology and renewable energy will be helpful on these 
fronts. 
 
A DEMOCRACY AT A CROSSROADS 
 
 
¶7.  President Obama's emphasis on the importance of 
representative government comes at a difficult time for 
Yemeni democracy.  Parliamentary elections scheduled for 
April 2009 were postponed for two years because the ruling 
 
party and opposition could not agree on fundamental issues 
affecting the conduct of the elections.  President Ali 
Abdullah Saleh has governed for 31 years, and few 
interlocutors can identify a potential successor who could 
manage the country's numerous political fissures and crises. 
 
¶8.  Through MEPI and Public Diplomacy grants, post is 
supporting projects to increase civic participation among 
youth, facilitate workshops on electoral reform for 
parliamentarians and political party activists, and 
facilitate legislative advocacy by key stakeholder groups 
like the national journalists' syndicate, among other 
initiatives.  Post has a strong partnership with the National 
Democratic Institute (NDI), working together on election 
monitoring and anti-corruption projects.  USAID is currently 
supporting projects to decentralize public service delivery, 
strengthen electoral institutions, and train parliamentarians 
on anti-corruption strategies.  In the past, both MEPI and 
USAID have partnered with the International Foundation for 
Electoral Systems (IFES) on democracy and governance projects 
as well. Looking ahead, interlocutors stress that a return to 
regularly scheduled parliamentary elections in 2011 is 
essential to rehabilitating Yemen's fledgling democracy. 
 
WOMEN'S RIGHTS: HALF THE BATTLE 
 
 
¶9.  In a country with only one elected female 
parliamentarian, women still face significant socioeconomic 
and political barriers.  President Obama's emphasis on 
women's rights and girls' education ties into existing MEPI 
and Public Diplomacy grants to train women leaders on project 
management, journalism, and human rights, and to establish a 
women's "shadow parliament" to involve women leaders in the 
national political dialogue.  MEPI has also funded training 
for women on information technology and IT entrepreneurship. 
USAID is currently supporting projects to increase women's 
participation within political parties and as candidates for 
elected office, and post has worked with NDI to launch a film 
promoting women's political participation.  Post is currently 
working with religious leaders to educate the public about 
child marriage, discouraging the practice and emphasizing the 
importance of women's education in Islam in communities where 
child marriage is particularly prevalent. 
 
CHALLENGES BEYOND YEMEN'S BORDERS 
 
 
¶10.  Educational initiatives, democratic development, and 
women's rights are important areas for US-Yemeni cooperation. 
 However, according to many interlocutors, a "new beginning" 
in US-Yemeni relations will be signaled by movement on two 
issues: Palestine and Guantanamo. In discussions of the Cairo 
speech, most interlocutors focused on the perceived need for 
the US to work with Israel to ensure a just resolution of the 
Palestinian question.  Likewise, the continuing detention of 
close to 100 Yemeni nationals in Guantanamo Bay draws regular 
condemnation from the Yemeni media and civil society 
organizations.  Many interlocutors are expecting the 
repatriation of all of the Yemeni nationals in Guantanamo 
upon the closure of the facility.  Thus the popular 
perception of US-Yemeni relations depends to a significant 
extent on issues that are beyond Yemen's borders and outside 
of post's control. 
 
COMMENT 
 
 
¶11. Yemen is currently facing unprecedented challenges on the 
economic, political, and security fronts, and many local and 
international observers are issuing pessimistic forecasts for 
the near future.  However, there is still an opportunity to 
reverse troubling trend lines.  A more robust engagement from 
the United States in the areas outlined above could pay 
significant dividends and help prevent the chorus of downbeat 
prognostications from becoming reality.  END COMMENT. 
SECHE