U.S. wants to resume ship visits to Yemen
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
WASHINGTON Ñ The United States wants to resume port calls by its
naval vessels to Yemen.
U.S. officials said the Pentagon has approached the government in Sanaa
for the resumption of naval visits. The visits by U.S. warships ended last
October in wake of the bombing of the USS Cole. Seventeen U.S. sailors were
killed in the attack attributed to Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin
Laden.
But plans to resume the visits of U.S. warships have been held up
by disagreements between Sanaa and Washington over the USS Cole
investigation. U.S. officials said Yemen has denied FBI access to key
suspects in the investigation.
Assistant Defense Secretary Peter Rodman said the Pentagon wants to
renew the U.S. defense relationship with Sanaa. Rodman said he did not
envision any imminent developments.
"I presume that it's possible for us to do that in ways that protect the
safety of our ships," Rodman said. "I would like to see this relationship
repaired in some way, because I think it would serve an American interest."
U.S. officials said the Pentagon has had a decade-long relationship with
Sanaa. Military relations expanded significantly in 1999 and at one point
the United States and Yemen discussed the prospect of joint exercises and
military training.
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
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