London, Asharq Al-Awsat- US Ambassador to Yemen, Gerald Feierstein, has stated that the United States is satisfied with the accomplishments made on the political and security levels in Yemen and that the level of cooperation between the two countries has never been better than at present. He admitted that the United States has used unmanned aerial drones, but denied that there are American troops on the ground in Yemen. In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Ambassador Feierstein said that Yemen is marching in the right direction and that the US stand in support of Yemen’s unity will not change.
The following is the full test of the interview:
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Where do we stand now in Yemen regarding what the Gulf initiative has accomplished? As sponsors of this initiative, are you satisfied with its progress?
[Feierstein] We are now in the second phase of the Gulf initiative and its implementation mechanism that started with the presidential elections in February. This initiative requires taking several steps and the most important of which is the national dialogue for which the president formed an eight-member communications committee. The committee met with representatives from the various sides inside Yemen, like the Huthists and the southerners, in Aden and in Cairo. The committee also met with the youths, the women’s sector, and the civic society. The committee has ended this work and it met with the president yesterday (Sunday). We have learned from the press that the committee will submit its final report to the president this week. We hope that the president would form the higher dialogue committee before Ramadan so it would be able to make the necessary arrangements for the dialogue, the venue, date, and agenda which were set to a certain extent in the Gulf initiative. We hope that the dialogue would begin after the feast of Ramadan. The second point is to prepare for the national referendum and the elections. This consists of several steps. The Gulf initiative authorized the government to form a higher committee for the elections and the referendum. We are in contact with the government to encourage it to do so. We are also learning about the opinions of the political leaders on this subject. After that, we review and update the voters’ register. The international group is ready to work closely with the higher elections and referendum committee to offer assistance in this regard. I hope we will begin this process in September so we would have enough time to prepare a credible voters’ register. The constitutional amendments or drawing up a draft of the new constitution is another aspect of the second transitional phase. This will be the result of the national dialogue. I hope that the draft of the new constitution would be ready at the beginning of next year so it could be ratified in the general referendum. We also mention the work related to the restructuring of the armed forces and the security forces. We are working to finalize this with a number of institutions in the defense ministry and the interior ministry, and we are satisfied with what has been accomplished. Our impression regarding the articles of the Gulf initiative that have been accomplished is extremely positive. We are on the right road to accomplish many more of the resolutions of the initiative within the set deadlines until the end of the transitional phase by the beginning of February 2014.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are there any penalties that can be imposed on individuals or groups to encourage them to attend? Media outlets have reported that some leaders of the Southern Mobility movement have set conditions to attend the conference.
[Feierstein] I think that attendance and participation in the national dialogue is voluntary. No one will be forced to attend although we believe that everyone should attend. We believe that the national dialogue is the way that can solve many important issues, such as the relationship between the north and the south, the issue of the Huthists, the form of the state and the government, whether the system will be a federal one or based on a merged union, and whether it will be a presidential system or a parliamentary system. These are the issues that will be debated during the national dialogue conference. If some people do not wish to attend the dialogue, that is their choice. However, we affirm that the national dialogue will decide the future of the country. Therefore, the sides that do not wish to participate are hurting themselves. That is why we hope all will attend. We have heard from the members of the communications committee that their assessment of the responses of the various sides is positive. They believe that the dialogue will be broadly attended. I wish to point out here that the government and the communications committee have made clear that attendance of the dialogue should be without preconditions.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Some leaders of the Southern Mobility insist on regaining their former state. What is the position of the United States in this regard?
[Feierstein] Our position on this issue is that we support Yemeni unity. If you review the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the resolutions of the Gulf initiative, you will see that they clearly stipulate that the issues should be solved within the framework of a united Yemen. This has been our position for many years in the past and we will continue to have this position in the future.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] In your opinion, what are the most important obstacles impeding the implementation of the Gulf initiative?
[Feierstein] As you know, we are following developments closely. President Obama issued an executive order permitting us to penalize individuals or groups that we believe are impeding the implementation of the Gulf initiative. The Security Council also confirmed that by saying that individuals or groups that obstruct the enforcement of the agreement can be penalized. We have not yet used the executive order and we have not yet specified who is obstructing the political process. Nevertheless, we believe that there are elements on both sides that did not accept the Gulf initiative. However, we have not yet reached the point where we feel that we should enforce the executive order.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Some observers believe that the Americans are interested in supporting Yemen militarily in order to defeat the Al-Qaeda. They say that American support for development issues is not on the same level as “the war on terror”. What do you say?
[Feierstein] This is a misunderstanding. The fact is that we provide the Yemeni government with all the support we can to defeat Al-Qaeda and other radical organizations to stop them from turning Yemen into a safe haven or a launching pad for their operations. We are very pleased with the efforts that the government and the military establishment exerted in the past few weeks to evict Al-Qaeda from the towns it had entered. This is a good and positive development. However, I wish to clarify that we understand the nature of the challenge in this regard. We understand that in addition to supporting the government militarily in its efforts to confront Al-Qaeda, we also understand that there are other parallel requirements in confronting the social, economic, and political challenges. The important factor to defeat Al-Qaeda comes from the state’s ability to provide social services, education, job opportunities, and building a prosperous economy. Our commitment focuses on these issues as much as it focuses on the military and security aspects. Last week, Rajiv Shah, the director of the United States Agency for International Development [USAID], made a successful visit to Yemen where he mentioned that in addition to the $52 million that he announced during his visit there, there is other economic and humanitarian aid to Yemen that raises the amount of aid to $175 million. This amount is equal if not higher than the military assistance that we give to Yemen this year. This new assistance is for reconstruction in the south, in addition to $20 million allocated for the displaced in the north and more aid to hold the dialogue and the elections. In other words, out of the total of $175 million, $100 million are aid in the humanitarian field to provide food and help Yemen confront the serious humanitarian challenges. The sum of $175 million is provided to bolster the economy and for other programs that help Yemen build a prosperous economy in the future and construct strong democratic institutions in the country. Thus, we follow a comprehensive approach to confront these challenges for the sake of a stable and prosperous Yemen in the future.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] how would you compare the level of cooperation of President Hadi and President Saleh regarding the war on terror in Yemen?
[Feierstein] I will not make a comparison. However, I can say that the relationship that we have established with President Hadi in the past few months has been special. The level of cooperation between our two governments has not been better than it is at present.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You mean to say that the level of cooperation with President Hadi is better?
[Feierstein] I said that the level of cooperation between our two governments has not been better than it is at present.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] How do you view your relationship with the Yemeni Reform Grouping [YRG]? Do you have concerns that there may be radicals within the YRG?
[Feierstein] We have a good relationship with the YRG and we hold regular dialogues with YRG leaders Abdul-Wahab al-Ansi and Muhammad al-Yadumi. We worked closely with the YRG during the political crisis when they participated in leading the opposition parties. They have also signed the Gulf initiative and are participating in the reconciliation government. Therefore, our relationship with the YRG is normal just as it is with the other political parties in Yemen. We try to coordinate to confront the radical groups. We have also heard from the YRG leaders that they share our viewpoint regarding the confrontation of extremism and violence. Therefore, I can say that our relationship with them is excellent.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] The YRG and supporters of President Saleh are exchanging accusations regarding support for Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Do you think that Al-Qaeda is receiving some form of facilitations officially in the country?
[Feierstein] As you said, these are exchanged claims and accusations. Each side is accusing the other of providing support for Al-Qaeda. We do not have any evidence to corroborate the accusations made by the two sides. We view Al-Qaeda as an organization that develops itself; we do not believe that Al-Qaeda is receiving support from any political entity in the country.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Several members of Al-Qaeda managed to escape from prisons several times. Do you view this as a kind of support that Al-Qaeda may have received or a kind of laxity with it in the country?
[Feierstein] A few days ago, several Al-Qaeda elements escaped from a prison in Al-Hudaydah and there was another escape from a prison in Aden. I think the inclination is to conduct an investigation. Such escapes reflect the inability of the government institutions to maintain a level of security. I believe that the problem lies in the government’s level of ability to shoulder its basic responsibilities. We as part of the international donors hope to help Yemen overcome this dilemma in the coming few years.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] recently, did US troops participate in the war on Al-Qaeda in the south?
[Feierstein] No, not at all; the operations there were conducted by the Yemeni army and security forces. There was no American presence in any of these operations.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But you have said in the past that American unmanned aircraft (drones) did not participate in hitting Al-Qaeda there but later the US secretary of defence affirmed it a few weeks ago.
[Feierstein] Well, I think if you look at John Brennan’s speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center in May and the report of the “international forces” submitted to the Congress two weeks ago, you will find that under special and specific circumstances, the United States used UAV’s in the past to monitor the movements of specific individuals accused of planning and carrying out acts against US and international interests.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Yemeni media outlets close to the former president have reported that Sheikh Abdal-Majid al-Zindani has contacted the Americans to have his name removed from the list of those supporting terrorism against the United States. Has there been an attempt Sheikh Al-Zindani to contact you?
[Feierstein] No, I do not have any information that he was in contact with any official from the US side.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you still have suspicions concerning relations between some individuals in Yemen, like Sheikh Al-Zindani, with Al-Qaeda?
[Feierstein] Yes; the United Nations said that Sheikh Al-Zindani supports terrorism. We have no reason to change our viewpoint on this subject.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] But do you have evidence that the Al-Iman University supports terrorism?
[Feierstein] Well, we have concerns in this regard. Sheikh Al-Zindani is, of course, the president of this university. We have some concerns that those who attend this institution have been in one way or another mobilized or encouraged to support extremism and violence.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] In the north, the Huthists are raising the slogan of “Death to America, Death to Israel”. Do you think they are serious about this?
[Feierstein] (Laughing) Are they serious in wanting to kill us? I do not think so.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You do not think so?
[Feierstein] No, I do not think so.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you consider the Huthists your enemies because they say that you are their enemies?
[Feierstein] No, and we say that for reasons of their own, the Huthists want to appear as or want to take the position of being hostile to the United States. We were never against the Huthists; we never agreed that they support terrorism. We did not participate in any military actions against them in the past few years. Our opinion is that the solution of this problem lies in national dialogue, negotiations, and reconciliation. In this practical way, the Huthists can come to the table, put forward their vision, and reach a solution. Thus, the United States was never against the Huthists and they know very well the reason why they are conducting this campaign against the United States. Nevertheless, we are worried about the growing cooperation between the Huthists and the Iranian government. If this continues, the Huthists would become Iranian agents in Yemen.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] In your opinion, why do they keep repeating the chant of “Death to America, Death to Israel” while they are not serious in implementing this slogan?
[Feierstein] I think that for one reason or another, they believe that the slogan helps in obtaining support. As you know, however, it is not bringing them any support I believe that they are doing so in view of their contacts with Iran.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you worried about Iran’s increasing interference in Yemen?
[Feierstein] We are extremely worried about this. Iran is increasingly trying to intensify its presence here. It is spending huge amounts of money and is trying to buy support not only among the Huthists but also in the south to the extent of building a relationship with Al-Qaeda. They support some terrorism dens that spread Iranian propaganda. They are not satisfied only to find political allies to them. However, we strongly believe that they are providing military support and training to radical elements in diverse groups, especially the Huthists. We believe that the Iranians are trying to obstruct the political transformation here because their goal is to spread chaos and radicalism in Yemen in order to foment turmoil not only in Yemen but also in the region.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] My last question is: Some in Yemen say that you are the actual president of Yemen. What do you say?
[Feierstein] (Laughs) I do not know whether I would like this job and, of course, it is not my job. We have warm relations with President Hadi and we cooperate with him intensely. I believe that the relationship is a very strong one. Our commitment to help Yemen in these difficult political, economic, and security circumstances is very strong. When we cooperate and coordinate closely, we can help the government accomplish its goals which are ultimately goals that we share. This is something positive. I am very pleased that we were able to play this role. However, at the end of the day, the Yemenis are proud of their independence. Colonialism has never managed to stay in this country and I think that the Yemenis are aware of their history. We are also aware of this history and we will not deviate from it toward another road.