The Letter
Odd. Why now? This is my question lately. In this case it refers to why the Yemeni government is releasing now the transcript of a December letter from President Bush to President Saleh, which apparently questioned both Zindani’s trip to Mecca and the attendence of Hamas leaders at the Palestine Conference in Sanaa. Also in attendence : Hizbullah, the Iraqi Muslim Scholars Assoc, and Qaradawi who raised about 4 million dollars.
From M&C:
US President George W Bush asked Yemen to cut ties with the militant Palestinian Hamas movement one month before its landslide victory in the Palestinian legislative elections, a state-run website claimed Saturday.The 26sep.net web site, run by Yemen\’s defence ministry, said Bush made the request in a letter to Yemeni President Ali Saleh in late December.
In an Arabic translation of the letter, Bush condemned Saleh\’s meeting with the political leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, in Sana\’a on December 5, saying the meeting harmed the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and spoiled his efforts at establishing security and stability in the Palestinian Authority.
Bush further said he felt worried after knowing that Saleh warmly welcomed the Hamas leader.
Bush said that meeting people who support or are linked to terrorism detracted from the importance of the war on terrorism, the website reported. Bush also told Saleh that the close connection with the leaders of organizations deemed by Washington as terrorist cast doubts on Saleh\’s commitment to the fight against terrorism.
\’I urge you to cut your relationships with Hamas and its leaders,\’ Bush asked Saleh in the transcript published on the website. Yemen, a close Arab ally of the US in the war on terrorism, maintains good ties with all secular and Islamic Palestinian factions that it sees as supporters of the struggle for an independent Palestinian state.
