Yemen: "Sorry About Those Missiles"

Yemen: "Sorry About Those Missiles"

"Can I have 2.3 Billion Dollars?"

Saddam Hussein has no lock on playing the United States for a sucker and a fool.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the President of Yemen, is a master of the Iraqi shuffle. His Excellency has also honed his Texas two-step while dancing lies all around George Bush and his ballroom partners.

If a bit of deja vu overcame you Tuesday, December 10, regarding that N. Korean ship carrying Scud missiles that was headed toward Yemen, you had good cause. Earlier in the year, the United States imposed sanctions on a North Korean company for selling Scud missile parts to Yemen. That company is nothing but a marketing arm of the government of North Korea. These sales from N. Korea to Yemen had been going on all through the Clinton regime. Yemen said they were "sorry" and it will "never happen again".

So what about Yemen? What "sanctions" or slap on the wrist did they get?

"We apologize and will never buy missiles again. Where is my 2.3 billion dollars?"

The World Bank, October 17, 2002 (two months after Yemen promised not buy more missiles):

The Republic of Yemen’s international development partners [The World Bank] sent a favorable message to the country’s Government today by pledging up to $2.3 billion in support of the Government’s objectives over a three-year period. The Government responded with a reassertion of its strong commitment to good governance, improved security against terrorism, and full implementation of its new Poverty Reduction Strategy.

The "sanction" and slap on the wrist for Yemen was a very large check to the tune of a couple billion dollars, more than enough to buy all the Scuds one would want. This is what Ari Fleischer said about the earlier incident:

"President Bush has no concern about Yemen. The government of Yemen has been making constructive steps in working with the United States on the war against terror."—Ari Fleischer, White House press secretary, August 23, 2002

Another American official noted that "when the sanctions against N. Korea are announced in the Federal Register in the coming days [early in the year 2002], Yemen will not be identified as the purchasing country. Yemen committed itself to joining the war on terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks. . ."

"U.S. authorities asked Yemen why it bought the parts, and officials in that country apologized, promised not to do so again and pledged to help in other areas. . . The United States decided against any penalties for Yemen."

That "promise not to buy missiles again" lasted only a few months until Tuesday, Dec. 10. Just like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Yemen is treated like royalty by the United States because they supposedly help the United States in the war against terror.

Here is how these three countries help in the war against terrorism:

PAKISTAN

In a perfect marriage of interests, Pakistan provided the North [Korea] with many of the designs for gas centrifuges and much of the machinery it needs to make highly enriched uranium for the country's latest nuclear weapons project, one intended to put at risk South Korea, Japan and 100,000 American troops in Northeast Asia.—David E. Sangar, NYT, Nov. 24, 2002

So our "friend and ally" in the war against terror—Pakistan— helps an "axis of evil" member N. Korea in its nuclear weapons program. Take a lesson, Saudis.

SAUDI ARABIA

Another "friend and ally" in the war against terror—Saudi Arabia—goes all out to top Pakistan's act. They send 15 hijackers to the United States to murder 3000 Americans on Sept. 11, 2001. One of their top clerics runs a telethon and raises over 100 million dollars for blood money for the homicide bombers. And, the wife of the Ambassador to the United States helps fund two of the 911 hijackers. Top that, Yemen.

YEMEN

For all the "apologies" that President Ali Abdullah Saleh gave to the United States, and for all the hand shaking and back slapping done in the "joint fight against terrorism", here is what Saleh said to his people at the People's Congress Party in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, just one day after the White House said they accepted Yemen's apology and vow not purchase missiles again:

What will happen to Iraq will happen to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other states. No State should think that it is distant from those threats. Arab countries should have a unified stance and express total opposition to such a threat [war against Iraq] . . . We have bought these missiles and this is a legitimate right for Yemen. — President Saleh, August, 24, 2002

Our third "partner against terrorism"—Yemen—buys missile parts during Clinton's regime, promises not to do it again August 24, 2002, gets caught December 10, 2002, receiving more missiles from N. Korea, and has its president appealing to other Arab states to fight against America ousting another terrorist, Hussein. At the same time, they claim they are a poor nation and need billions of dollars from the World Bank to fight poverty, which the fools gladly give them. The money, apparently, goes to buy sugar and spice and everything nice, including more Scud missiles.

Yemen is an important partner with the US in the fight against international terrorism . . . the Yemeni government has denounced terrorism in all its forms and sources and made clear its support for global efforts to eradicate terrorism.—US Ambassador to Yemen Edmund J. Hull

I have this feeling that the family members of those murdered on the USS Cole don't exactly buy this argument put forward by the good ambassador, nor by Ari Fleischer on behalf of President Bush.

The latest version of the Bush Doctrine:

"Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. Or, I say you are with us but you really are with the terrorists."

The only plausible explanation for the distinction being made by Bush between friend and foe is that we are so weak militarily that we can't call a foe a foe and must dance with the devil while we take on one two-bit thug nation at a time.

Too bad weakness forces us to look like fools.

The pattern is familiar. Once again, the Unites States sends billions of dollars of aid to enemies of our nation who use the money to purchase weapons of mass destruction that someday will be used against the United States. President Saleh lies to us, yet our government officially accepts his "apology" and calls Yemen an ally, even though one day later Saleh says he has a right to buy those missiles, and makes good his promise four months later in December.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. What charming friends and allies.

George Bush plays the American public for fools in calling these nations "allies" just as these nations treat our government as total fools while grabbing billions of dollars in handouts.

These are some of the pleasantries and kisses exchanged with Bush while dancing the Texas two-step.

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