U.S. warships to refuel in Yemeni port where USS Cole was attacked

Posted 3:27PM on Monday 8th April 2002 ( 23 years ago )

SAN`A, Yemen - The United States and Yemen have reached a deal to allow U.S. warships to resume refueling in the Yemeni port where the USS Cole was attacked nearly 19 months ago, officials said Monday. Under the agreement, U.S. Marines will participate in security at the Aden port where 17 American sailors were killed and 37 wounded when a small boat, laden with explosives, was detonated beside the Cole in October 2000. It was not clear when refueling would resume at Aden. The port is strategically located near the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and international waters. Retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, who was responsible for the Middle and Near East, said after the attack that Aden still remained the least dangerous refueling point in the region. The United States suspects Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network was behind the attack on the Cole. Yemen has been unable to arrest two key al-Qaida suspects wanted by the United States for questioning and admits there may be other al-Qaida activists in the country. Yemen is home to hundreds of Muslims who fought the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the 1980s. For Yemen, the return of U.S. warships to its port is seen as a vote of confidence in the country's leadership and an opportunity to make money. "Their return will yield us huge returns of foreign currency because we will supply the ships with fuel, water, food supplies and will charge them for those services as well as docking facilities," a Yemeni official said on condition of anonymity. The official said his government undertook to provide "all the necessary safety procedures for ships in the port." All ships entering the port would have to give notice of their movements, the official said. A U.S. diplomat, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said security measures taken by Yemen were enough to encourage U.S. ships to return. Yemeni security officials said the port area had been investigated by a team of U.S. intelligence officers and Marines. Upgraded security includes stationary and mobile surveillance points in and around the port as well as navy patrols. Yemen, the poorest country of the Arabian Peninsula, has committed itself to the U.S. war on terrorism, begun after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. But Yemeni officials say this cannot be done without U.S. training, military assistance and aid. An American official said the return of U.S. ships to Yemen was part of a broader agreement to support Yemeni efforts to combat terrorism.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/4/202538