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Yemeni official: Other conflicts diverted focus from al Qaeda
Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) - Yemen's foreign minister says his government has not sufficiently focused on al Qaeda because it has turned its attention to insurgencies rocking the northern and southern regions there.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an interview Wednesday that "our fault was that we spared al Qaeda" because of other conflicts - fighting Houthi rebels in the north and secessionists in the south.
He spoke to Amanpour from Yemen's capital, Sanaa.
Al-Qirbi also said Yemen isn't accepting direct U.S. intervention, despite reports that the United States made military strikes against Yemeni targets late last year, and he said his country's forces can conduct military action against al Qaeda.
He said that the United States has learned from its experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq that direct intervention can be self-defeating. But he emphasized that his country has welcomed help from the United States and other nations to bolster its equipment, intelligence, firepower and overall development.
// Al-Qirbi said there are 200 to 300 al Qaeda members in Yemen, but he says events have proved that the country hasn't become the next Afghanistan, a reference to that country being a haven for al Qaeda when it was under Taliban control.
But he said that their activities are "obviously of concern to us" and that unless there is a concerted effort to exchange intelligence, "lapses" will occur like those that led to a failed Christmas Day terrorist attack on a U.S. passenger jet.
Meanwhile, Daniel Benjamin, the U.S. State Department's ambassador-at-large for counterterrorism, told Amanpour on Wednesday that the United States has not taken its attention off of Yemen. He said Washington has been focusing on the terrorist threat there since President Obama came into office.
Benjamin said that Yemen is not a failed state, though parts of it clearly are "undergoverned." But "the al Qaeda threat from Yemen is at a peak now," Benjamin said, and the United States is working "more effectively" with Yemeni authorities to curb it.
In a speech Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there needs to be a "new mindset" in the "long-term endeavor" to help develop countries, including places like Yemen. Such work requires patience and "the courage to rethink our strategies if we're falling short," she said.
"We must also be honest that, in some situations, we will invest in places that are strategically critical but where we are not guaranteed success. In countries that are incubators of extremism, like Yemen, or are ravaged by poverty and natural disasters, like Haiti, the odds are long. But the cost of doing nothing is potentially far greater," she said, speaking at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington.
Yemen fertile ground for terror groups
They made their remarks as Yemen's Interior Ministry kept up the heat on al Qaeda militants. Yemeni security forces arrested three al Qaeda suspects Wednesday along with four others believed to be sheltering them, the ministry said.
It was the latest action in what the ministry says is Yemen's fight against terrorism and al Qaeda - a series of operations officials say resulted in the deaths and arrests of dozens of militants. The action comes after the failed plot to bomb the Northwest Airlines plane December 25 as it approached Detroit, Michigan - a plot that has been linked to Yemeni extremists.
The arrests occurred in Amran province northwest of the capital, Sanaa, according to a statement published on the ministry's Web site.
The al Qaeda suspects were wounded and on the run after clashes with government troops Monday, when they were thought to be accompanying Mohammed Ahmed al-Haunq, an al Qaeda leader for the area, the ministry said.
Four others accused of helping the suspects were apprehended at a hospital, according to the ministry Web site, which described them as "al-Haunq security and relatives."
Yemen's state-run news agency, SABA, reported Monday that two al Qaeda suspects were killed and two others were injured in clashes with a Yemeni anti-terrorism unit.
The Yemeni government has referred to al-Haunq as the mastermind and leader of the group threatening to attack Western embassies in Yemen.
The United States closed its embassy in Sanaa on Sunday after intelligence suggested that four al Qaeda operatives might have been planning an attack on the compound, a senior Obama administration official said Monday.
The embassy reopened Tuesday, saying Monday's operation had addressed the threatened attack.
The British Embassy in Yemen also cited security concerns when it closed Sunday. It reopened Tuesday, but public services - including consular and visa services - remained suspended indefinitely.
Al-Qirbi and British Ambassador to Yemen Tim Torlo held discussions Wednesday, according to SABA. They talked about the arrangements for a conference on the Yemen situation.
On December 25, Nigerian-born Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab allegedly tried to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear as the Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, made its final approach to Detroit. The device failed to fully detonate, instead setting off a fire at the man's seat, and he was restrained by passengers and crew until the plane landed.
The Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the Christmas Day plot, and Obama has linked the suspect to that group, which is a combination of al Qaeda networks in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
AbdulMutallab, who faces federal charges of attempting to destroy an aircraft, is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has said that the attempted attack on the airliner was in retaliation for airstrikes against it December 17 and 24. However, Yemen has said that AbdulMutallab purchased his ticket December 16.
The U.S. Embassy in Yemen has come under attack numerous times in recent years. In September 2008, 10 people were killed - among them police and civilians, but no embassy employees - when insurgents opened fire and set off explosions outside the compound.
Tom's Take:
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/09/art.amanpour.writer.jpg caption="Sr. Writer Tom Evans"]
On AMANPOUR. today, we will be looking at the global competition for an increasingly scarce resource, water. Countries such as Yemen are suffering from critical water shortages. By some estimates water scarcity affects one in three humans on the planet. Even parts of the United States are suffering from critical water shortages. Some analysts believe competition for water could even lead to wars. At a time when water is running out and there are more and more mouths to feed, should we be looking at water as a privilege? Is it something we should pay for if we can afford it? Should we be able to make money from it? Is it a right and a resource that should be protected from market forces? Or will market forces protect water from running out too quickly? We will try to answer those questions in today’s show. But there are some other important headlines to tell you about as well today.
Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
YEMEN – How close were ties of accused Christmas Day attempted bomber with Yemen?
– Yemen’s deputy prime minister says suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab met with radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen but was radicalized in Britain when he was a student
– U.S. intelligence officials trying to find out whether al-Awlaki played a role in the botched attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day
– American President Barack Obama to address U.S. today on aviation security failures and steps being taken to protect airliners and their passengers and crews
QUESTION: Will United States insist on playing a more direct role in Yemen despite opposition from the government there to any direct intervention?
Activist: Farmer suicides in India linked to debt, globalization
By George Lerner; Producer, AMANPOUR.
(CNN) - Thousands of poor farmers in India have committed suicide over the past decade as changes in India's agricultural policy set off a widening spiral of debt and despair, one environmental activist said Tuesday.
"The farmer suicides started in 1997. That's when the corporate seed control started," Vandana Shiva told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "And it's directly related to indebtedness, and indebtedness created by two factors linked to globalization."
For Shiva, who works with farming communities across India, those two factors were the ceding of control of the seed supply to the corporate chemical industry - leading to increased production costs for already-struggling farmers - as well as falling food prices in a global agricultural economy.
An estimated 200,000 farmers have taken their own lives in India over the past 13 years, according to Indian government statistics.
"The combination is unpayable debt, and it's the day the farmer is going to lose his land for chemicals and seeds, that is the day the farmer drinks pesticide," Shiva said. "And it's totally related to a negative economy, of an agriculture that costs more in production than the farmer can ever earn."
But Columbia University Economics Professor Jagdish Bhagwati, a former adviser to the Indian government, said that globalization was not responsible for the surge of suicides among cotton farmers in the Indian states of Maharastra and Andhra Pradesh.
"There are other states in India where cotton seeds have been absorbed and which are really prosperous. So you have to ask, why is it that these are breaking out?" he asked. "What's happening is very much like the subprime mortgages in the United States, where a whole bunch of salesmen went out and sold mortgages to people who couldn't afford them."
Yemen's Foreign Minister:
From Christiane:
I just interviewed the Foreign Minister of Yemen, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi. He says they don’t want U.S. intervention, but want U.S. intelligence and development help. Much more of what he said, tonight at 2000 GMT.
Tom's Take (AM)
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/09/art.amanpour.writer.jpg caption="Sr. Writer Tom Evans"]
On AMANPOUR. today - the botched Christmas Day terrorist attack on a U.S. airliner has shone a spotlight on one of the Arab world’s poorest nations: Yemen. Why is Yemen such a hot spot for al Qaeda? What makes it a safe haven for militants? Experts say the country is practically a failed state. Yemen was hit hard by the food crisis and never fully recovered. Its major export is crude oil and that could run out within 5 years. And the country faces one of the worst water crises in the world. In the meantime, the government has been spending 200 million dollars a month on a war against rebels in the North. So where do the Yemeni government, the Arab world, and the U.S. go from here? Christiane will interview the Yemeni foreign minister and the U.S. State Department ambassador at large for counterterrorism. Yemen also tops our news headlines today. Here are some perspectives on that and some other stories.
Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
YEMEN – How successful will the government’s crackdown on Al Qaeda be?
– Yemeni security forces arrest three wounded Al Qaeda suspects today as they pursue terrorists linked to a plot to attack Western embassies
– U.S. Embassy has now reopened, and British embassy is partially open for business again
– U.S. says terrorism in Yemen a threat to regional and global stability
QUESTION: Should the U.S. take stronger military action against Al Qaeda in Yemen?
Voices from Nigeria:
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/01/05/nigeriaflag.jpg caption=""]
AMANPOUR. invites you to be the story teller by sharing your thoughts on the attempted bombing in Detroit. Are you from Nigeria? Do you have a webcam? We’d like to hear from you about how you feel Nigeria being in the headlines after the attempted bombing in Detroit. Is this bringing negative attention to Nigeria or is it bringing necessary attention the country? Use your webcam, record your thoughts and submit them via the AMANPOUR iReport, click here.
And now your feedback:
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/17/feedback.jpg caption="Christiane – all ears for the feedback."]
On Monday, AMANPOUR. viewers commented on the situation in Iran. It was felt by some that “what comes next” in Iran is just as important as “getting the current regime out of power.” It was believed that a secular government could be just as bad as or worse than a religious one. It was also felt that the question of the current regime being done away with was pretty much a foregone conclusion, but what was up in the air was “how much blood would be spilled?” Others bemoaned the loss of any life, and said that peaceful discussions and negotiations were the key to true long term change, not violence. A number of viewers sharply disagreed with the comments of Mohammad Marandi. It was also felt by some that the number of pro-regime demonstrators that had come out last week was lower than what the regime claimed.
What do you think about the unrest in Iran and what may lie ahead in 2010? Please share your thoughts with us! In addition, if you missed the show go to http://www.cnn.com/amanpour/ for more information.
Below, you will see some opinions from viewers like yourself. We would love to hear what you think.
Sumaiya Khelef
Whenever I tune to CNN and watch what’s happening in Iran, I shake my head in disapproval and remorse over the outcomes. I pray that this ends soon. Blood isn't the solution to anything. People need to embrace the power of persuasive dialogue and tolerance for diversified individual thought and ideas.
Shervin Nooshin
Bringing this regime down wont be easy. The big question is if the regime does go down, who will take over?? Some want a monarchy, some want a democracy, etc... There is no real leader for the movement....and I sure as hell don’t want Mousavi or Rafsanjani to [rule] over Iran.......it just be more of the same....
Mumbai Power Fight
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/01/05/nergisiraniblog.jpg caption="Activist Nergis Irani speaks with local Dahanu fisherwomen in the shadow of the power plant."]
CNN Dahanu, India
by Sara Sidner
Nergis Irani is like a pit bull; once she sinks her teeth into something she won't let go. That might explain why at 75 years old she won't back down from a fight that has spanned more than 20 years. The battle now pits the grandmother of three against one of India's most powerful corporations, Reliance Infrastructure, owned by one of the richest men in the world, Anil Ambani.
"He may be the richest in money but I am richest in integrity and commitment," Irani said with a steel gaze, "I don't see how we could lose."
Irani lives a three-hour drive away from the bright lights and big city of Mumbai in a lush beachside town called Dahanu. The town is known as the food bowl of the region sending its precious fruits and vegetables to feed Mumbai. But it also provides Mumbai's fast growing suburbs with something else. Dahanu is home to a coal-fired power plant that sits on its wetlands and pumps electricity into the city. That is where the fight begins.
Irani has fought to keep the power plant from expanding because she says its pollution is ruining the fragile ecology of her hometown and the region's "fresh food bowl."
"The destruction of our chikoo orchards, mango orchards, the coconuts. It is shocking how fast the change has taken place," she said.
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