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CNN Live At Daybreak

Cheney Visits Yemen Briefly

Aired March 15, 2002 - 06:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Vice President Dick Cheney is taking a break from his talks with Middle Eastern leaders in the war on terrorism. This morning he's saluting the Americans, taking part in it by visiting the aircraft carrier USS John Stennis in the North Arabian Sea.

CNN's John King has more on Cheney's high-security travels.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. vice president visited Yemen under heavy security. Top U.S. officials say it is still an al Qaeda outpost despite a recent crackdown by the government. Talks with President Ali Abdullah Saleh focused on new U.S. military aid, a combination of training and equipment designed to help Yemen track down al Qaeda and other terrorist operatives and prevent Yemen from becoming a major base of operation now that al Qaeda has been disrupted in Afghanistan. Mr. Cheney was the latest high-profile visitor from Washington as the Bush administration tries to strengthen ties with Yemen.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have increasingly developed in recent months a very close bilateral relations between the United States and Yemen and are cooperating in a great many areas, and I am deeply grateful for the friendship and the hospitality shown to me today.

KING: Others include CIA Director George Tenet, FBI Director Robert Mueller, and the Commander of U.S. Forces in the region, Army General Tommy Franks. Seventeen U.S. sailors were killed in the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden, and U.S. officials say the Yemeni government threw up several blocks to the FBI investigation, but these officials say cooperation has improved substantially in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States and as a result, President Saleh is in line for U.S. economic assistance as well as the new military training and cooperation.

ALI ABDULLAH SALEH (through translator): We had successful negotiations. We have discussed various issues in combating terror and bilateral cooperation in combating terrorism, as well as cooperation of the world community.

KING: Mr. Cheney was in Yemen for just a little more than two hours because of security concerns and flew on a military transport plane as part of the extraordinary security precautions. Then it was on to Oman for two days of talks U.S. officials view as critical as the war on terror moves on to new fronts.

U.S. military operations here are far more expensive than either government acknowledges and would likely play a major role if the next phase in the war on terrorism includes a U.S. military confrontation with Iraq.

John King, CNN, Muscat, Oman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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