SANAA, 15 September 2005 — Yemen has recalled 38 diplomats working in its foreign missions as part of a move aimed to reform the country’s diplomatic representation and boost its image abroad.
The reshuffle comes four months after Yemen’s former ambassador in Syria, Ahmad Abdullah Al-Hassani, sought political asylum in Britain citing discrimination against southern Yemenis by President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government.
Al-Hassani has told the London media that the Yemeni authorities tried to assassinate him because he was member of an opposition movement in south Yemen.
Officials in Sanaa dubbed the diplomat as an “opportunist” and “mentally unstable”.
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qarubi said the shake-up intended to “rejuvenate” the diplomatic corps. “We decided to call back 38 diplomats working abroad,” the minister told a cultural forum in Sanaa late on Tuesday. He said the decision “is not reversible” for the sake of “real reforms” in the Foreign Ministry.
The Yemeni minister did not give any details about positions of the recalled diplomats or the countries they are posted. But sources close to the presidency told Arab News that the plan includes changing Yemen’s ambassadors to 14 countries including Algeria, Britain, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, France, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
The source said Yemen has, so far, received approval for the new appointments from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
