Russia, China keep toehold in Yemen

Russia, China keep toehold in Yemen
The failed Christmas Day airliner bombing attempt has underscored Washington's commitment to poverty-stricken, al-Qaeda-infested Yemen, a "vital counter-terrorism partner" of the United States. Yet Yemen’s multimillion-dollar military modernization program is overwhelmingly centered not on Washington, but on Moscow and Beijing. (Jan 6, '10)

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LA07Ak01.html

Yemen receives assistance under several US-funded programs, including Foreign Military Financing, International Military Education and Training, Non-Proliferation, Anti-terrorism and De-mining, and Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction.

But the proposed military aid to Yemen - all of it gratis - along with US arms supplies, is negligible compared with weapons, military training and technical expertise from non-US sources.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), one of the world's best-known think-tanks researching arms control and disarmament, Russia accounted for nearly 59% of all major weapons deliveries to Yemen from 2004 to 2008, followed by Ukraine at 25%, Italy at 10%, Australia's 5%, and the United States at less than 1%.

Dr Paul Holtom, director of SIPRI's Arms Transfers Program, said Russian media have reported that Yemen has signed a deal to buy an estimated $1 billion worth of arms from Moscow (with some reports giving figures as high as $2.5 billion).

These weapons, he said, included additional MiG-29 combat aircraft, helicopters, tanks and armored vehicles. Holtom said there were also published reports suggesting these purchases were part of a proposed $4-billion military modernization program.

But he said he did not have an update on the degree of progress made on these arms deals.

Dan Darling, Europe and Middle East Military Markets analyst at the Connecticut-based Forecast International Inc, a leading provider of market intelligence on the military, said that in terms of primary arms suppliers to Yemen, "almost everything revolves around Russia".