U.S. Clears Sale of Weapons to Yemen

[G_j]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4467354,00.html

U.S. Clears Sale of Weapons to Yemen

Wednesday September 1, 2004 9:46 PM


By BARRY SCHWEID

AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Praising Yemen as a partner in the war on terror, the Bush administration has approved the sale of military equipment to the Persian Gulf country after more than a decade of a nearly total ban.

Delivery of spare parts for C-130 cargo planes was approved last week, which followed a recent decision to permit Yemen to purchase parts for F-5 fighter jets, Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman, said.

Beginning in 1992, the United States virtually banned arms sales to Yemen, which was a way of punishing Yemen for its support of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The policy was modified last February to take up Yemeni requests on a case-by-case basis, Casey said.

``The reason for the modification is that it was deemed necessary to support Yemen's active role in the war on terror,'' Casey said.

..more..

[rkc3]

1. So much for the Bush Doctrine and its efforts to stem terrorism.

It's a terrible thought, but imagine the coverage he'd get if the F-5s were used to attack US interests in the region.

[Aidoneus]

11. fear not, President Saleh is loyal property

he'll just use them to attack al-Yamani in Sa`ada.

[fob]

2. There you have it folks, bush* is keeping us SO SAFE, he has had to

restart arms sales to the middle east!

feh.

[louis-t]

6. That's 'tfeh'!

Means 'spit' in Arabic.

[fob]

10. How do you pronounce it? Just like it sounds?

ta-fay or te-fee or t-fuh or ??? either way bush* is tfeh on ALL AMericans with the Shit Floats Liars.

[louis-t]

15. tried to do it phonetically but couldn't!

just like it is spelled. the t and f pronounced almost simultaneously.
eh somewhere between a short e and eu sound.

[Coventina]

3. "YEMEN-AID" is the name of the program!!

sorry, couldn't resist!

:spank:

[lostnfound]

4. Weren't they getting missiles from North Korea, too?

Yes they were. Just Scuds. Wonder if this is simply a boost for the defense companies or if there's something strategic (covert) here.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/12/11/us.missile.ship/

[ChickMagic]

5. I swear I heard on the news

over last weekend that the Yemeni goverment was implicated in the Cole bombing. Did I imagine that?

[louis-t]

7. Suspects were Yemeni I believe

yet Yemen was 'helping' us find them.

[acmavm]

8. Didn't they make a break out of a prison there as well?

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. Osama claims Yemen as his ancestral home.

Quite fitting to supply them all the weapons they can buy. Osama was probably the only guy there that hates the west.

[lovuian]

12. This country needs weapons like a hole in the head

:nuke:

[Aidoneus]

13. just because they have more grenades and AKs than people..

several times over, in fact, doesn't mean they don't need more! You, the obvious unpatriotic terrorist sympathizer, are conspirating against the "defense" industry and seek to deprive them of profits.

Fuck, sell them goats and sheep instead of bombs.. then just maybe, leaders like Sheikh Husayn Badruddeen al-Huthi wouldn't rise up.

[leesa]

14. Arming our next target (after Iran and a few others)

[chromotone]

16. Subject: WHAAAT??! From the CIA Fact Book...

Economy - overview:
Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported strong growth in the mid-1990s with the onset of oil production, but has been harmed by periodic declines in oil prices. Yemen has embarked on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy, which has led to substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring. International donors, meeting in Paris in October 2002, agreed on a further $2.3 billion economic support package. Yemen has worked to maintain tight control over spending and to implement additional components of the IMF program. A high population growth rate and internal political dissension complicate the government's task. Plans include a diversification of the economy, encouragement of tourism, and more efficient use of scarce water resources.


However:
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50.2%
male: 70.5%
female: 30% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
35% (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age:
14 years of age (2004 est.)--?????


and, of course, oil and other natural resources...
Oil - production:
438,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
74,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
480 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ym.ht...


So, a third of the country's citizens is unemployed, just under a third of the males and two-thirds of the females cannot read or write, and the age for military duty is 14, to highlight a few statistics. Not exactly a beacon of an emerging democracy. But Bush is going to sell them military weapons...??

Let's look at these figures:
Oil - exports:
NA

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

These thugs are so transparent; you don't suppose the Bushistas want Yemen to develop its reserves of oil and natural gas so the country can export these commodities (via Bushistas) and use the proceeds to buy arms (via Bushistas)?