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American Morning

Interview With Edward Walker

Aired September 17, 2002 - 07:43   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The arrest of suspected al Qaeda members proves to many the worldwide reach of the terror network. And with many of the suspects from Yemen or of Yemeni descent, intelligence agencies right now increasing their interest in that country.
Authorities nabbed nine Yemeni men last week in Karachi after a four-hour shootout with police. Among them: Ramzi Binalshibh.

Also in this country, the Buffalo six, all of Yemeni descent, although they are American citizens as well.

Does Yemen, then, harbor more anti-American sentiment than its neighbors?

Ambassador Edward Walker is the president of the Middle East Institute. He is live this morning in Washington to talk about this.

Mr. Ambassador, good morning.

AMB. EDWARD WALKER, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Good morning.

HEMMER: You have said that essentially this is a country where it's essentially the wild west of the Middle East. Give us a better sense and a picture as to what you mean by that.

WALKER: Well, you have a central government, which is based on a developing democracy where elections are held and they have a bicameral legislature and so on. But you have provinces up to the north and to the east, where tribal leaders are in charge, and where the central government has very little authority. It's in those areas that we've had problems, both with people being kidnapped for ransom demands and with terrorists being given safe haven, or at least safe transit.

HEMMER: And is that the reason why now we have this larger impression that this is a country that essentially harbors terrorists? Would you agree with that?

WALKER: Well, I think it's been traditionally a place where terrorists can use the country as a transit point and maybe as a refuge. I think that that changed after the Cole incident. The Yemeni authorities recognized the risk to Yemen and to their own authority by encouraging this.

And there has been a substantial change in the central government's attitude, but they still have a problem policing their own country. And until very recently, we gave them no assistance in building up that capability.

HEMMER: But that has changed...

WALKER: That has changed.

HEMMER: ... as you go back to the USS Cole in the fall of 2000.

WALKER: That's right.

HEMMER: Give us a better sense about what American sentiment is contained in Yemen. How much is it anti-American, or how much is it not that way?

WALKER: Well, it's not really anti-American in Yemen, at least in my experience, the trips I have taken there. I mean, Yemenis are very warm people, very personable, and they like Americans. But this is a country with an average income of $800 a year. There's enormous poverty. There's enormous temptation for young men to go out and do other things, either working abroad or going to training camps in Afghanistan and devoting their lives to...

HEMMER: Ambassador, do you think it's the poverty, then, that drives that thinking?

WALKER: Well, it's probably a factor...

HEMMER: Because we have seen hijackers who essentially come from middle-income families all over the world.

WALKER: Sure, poverty is a factor, the frustration of not being able to get a job. This was a factor in Egypt when we were facing the terrorist threat there. It's not the only factor. Religion, the radical forms of religion can be a factor as well. And in places like Yemen, just plain cash can be a factor.

HEMMER: In 1991, the Yemen did not support the United States in the Persian Gulf War. It sided essentially with Saddam Hussein. Do you see, right now, that it's continuing to whittle away at the relationship between these two countries, A? And, B, if indeed push comes to shove and Baghdad is in the crosshairs, will Yemen get behind a U.S.-led effort?

WALKER: Yes, the Yemenis will be behind a U.S.-led effort. They have changed their attitude considerably since 1991. I think it goes back to the time of the Cole incident, where we learned to work with each other. It was a rough ride for a while. But we have been cooperating with the Yemeni authorities, and we've been trying to help them, both in democracy and in policing.

HEMMER: Well, the spotlight has been shown on that country quite clearly, especially in the past week.

Ambassador Edward Walker, thank you, sir -- appreciate talking to you today.

WALKER: You bet -- thanks. HEMMER: OK.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired September 17, 2002 - 07:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The arrest of suspected al Qaeda members proves to many the worldwide reach of the terror network. And with many of the suspects from Yemen or of Yemeni descent, intelligence agencies right now increasing their interest in that country.
Authorities nabbed nine Yemeni men last week in Karachi after a four-hour shootout with police. Among them: Ramzi Binalshibh.

Also in this country, the Buffalo six, all of Yemeni descent, although they are American citizens as well.

Does Yemen, then, harbor more anti-American sentiment than its neighbors?

Ambassador Edward Walker is the president of the Middle East Institute. He is live this morning in Washington to talk about this.

Mr. Ambassador, good morning.

AMB. EDWARD WALKER, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Good morning.

HEMMER: You have said that essentially this is a country where it's essentially the wild west of the Middle East. Give us a better sense and a picture as to what you mean by that.

WALKER: Well, you have a central government, which is based on a developing democracy where elections are held and they have a bicameral legislature and so on. But you have provinces up to the north and to the east, where tribal leaders are in charge, and where the central government has very little authority. It's in those areas that we've had problems, both with people being kidnapped for ransom demands and with terrorists being given safe haven, or at least safe transit.

HEMMER: And is that the reason why now we have this larger impression that this is a country that essentially harbors terrorists? Would you agree with that?

WALKER: Well, I think it's been traditionally a place where terrorists can use the country as a transit point and maybe as a refuge. I think that that changed after the Cole incident. The Yemeni authorities recognized the risk to Yemen and to their own authority by encouraging this.

And there has been a substantial change in the central government's attitude, but they still have a problem policing their own country. And until very recently, we gave them no assistance in building up that capability.

HEMMER: But that has changed...

WALKER: That has changed.

HEMMER: ... as you go back to the USS Cole in the fall of 2000.

WALKER: That's right.

HEMMER: Give us a better sense about what American sentiment is contained in Yemen. How much is it anti-American, or how much is it not that way?

WALKER: Well, it's not really anti-American in Yemen, at least in my experience, the trips I have taken there. I mean, Yemenis are very warm people, very personable, and they like Americans. But this is a country with an average income of $800 a year. There's enormous poverty. There's enormous temptation for young men to go out and do other things, either working abroad or going to training camps in Afghanistan and devoting their lives to...

HEMMER: Ambassador, do you think it's the poverty, then, that drives that thinking?

WALKER: Well, it's probably a factor...

HEMMER: Because we have seen hijackers who essentially come from middle-income families all over the world.

WALKER: Sure, poverty is a factor, the frustration of not being able to get a job. This was a factor in Egypt when we were facing the terrorist threat there. It's not the only factor. Religion, the radical forms of religion can be a factor as well. And in places like Yemen, just plain cash can be a factor.

HEMMER: In 1991, the Yemen did not support the United States in the Persian Gulf War. It sided essentially with Saddam Hussein. Do you see, right now, that it's continuing to whittle away at the relationship between these two countries, A? And, B, if indeed push comes to shove and Baghdad is in the crosshairs, will Yemen get behind a U.S.-led effort?

WALKER: Yes, the Yemenis will be behind a U.S.-led effort. They have changed their attitude considerably since 1991. I think it goes back to the time of the Cole incident, where we learned to work with each other. It was a rough ride for a while. But we have been cooperating with the Yemeni authorities, and we've been trying to help them, both in democracy and in policing.

HEMMER: Well, the spotlight has been shown on that country quite clearly, especially in the past week.

Ambassador Edward Walker, thank you, sir -- appreciate talking to you today.

WALKER: You bet -- thanks. HEMMER: OK.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.