Clinton calls Yemen situation a threat to global security - Summary

Mon, 04 Jan 2010

Washington - The unstable situation in Yemen poses a threat to regional and global security, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday. International efforts to support the Yemeni government in confronting extremism must be strengthened to prevent al-Qaeda from using the country "as a base for terrorist attacks far beyond the region," Clinton said.

"The instability in Yemen is a threat to regional stability and even global stability," she said after meeting with the prime minister of Qatar, Hamad Bin Jassim Jabr al-Thani.

US officials have long been concerned about the growing presence of al-Qaeda in remote areas of Yemen, and their apprehensions were highlighted in the failed Christmas Day plot against a US airliner.

The Nigerian suspect, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, reportedly told authorities he received training from al-Qaeda in Yemen and the explosives materials that failed to detonate on the flight bound for Detroit.

The US embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana'a was closed for a second day on Monday because of al-Qaeda threats against American interests. Clinton said the environment is under continuous review and the embassy will reopen "when security conditions permit."

The British, French and Japanese embassies in Sana'a were also closed.

President Barack Obama returned to Washington after a two-week winter break in Hawaii with the attack on the Delta/Northwest Airlines flight on the top of his agenda.

He was to hold a high-level meeting with his top national security team Tuesday to review how the suspect was able to breach security.

Obama has ordered an internal government review and acknowledged there were "systemic failures" in the intelligence community. US agencies reportedly received information about a Nigerian man training in Yemen to carry out an attack on the United States, but were unable to stop it.

Abdulmutallab's father had reportedly warned US officials at the embassy in Nigeria that he feared his son could be involved in terrorism.

Clinton said the State Department complied with its responsibilities to share information with other US government agencies about potential terrorism, but it was reviewing the procedures.

"We are not satisfied," she said.

Clinton said pressure must also be kept on the Yemeni government to show that international assistance is yielding progress in stabilizing the country.

"It's time for the international community to make it clear to Yemen that there are expectations and conditions on our continuing support for the government," she said.

The Obama administration was providing Yemen with 52.5 million dollars in development aid, up from 40.3 million in 2009, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. On top of that, Washington gave Yemen 67 million dollars in 2009 to support counterterrorism efforts.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302081,clinton-calls-yemen-situation-a-threat-to-global-security--summary.html.