Hillary Clinton warns that instability in Yemen is a global threat
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said today that instability in Yemen is a threat to regional and global security, but that the United States will work with other countries to deal with the issue.
Clinton spoke in Washington at a joint news conference with Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Jabr al-Thani. She also said that the State Department acted properly in dealing with a failed attempt to destroy a jetliner on Christmas Day, but that the agency was prepared to upgrade its security procedures, if needed.
Clinton spoke amid reports that Yemen had killed two suspected Al Qaeda operatives and wounded two others. Japan, Germany and France have followed the United States and Britain in closing their embassies in Yemen.
“Yemen is a top concern,” Clinton told reporters. “The instability in Yemen is a threat to regional stability and even global stability, and we’re working with Qatar and others to think of the best way forward to try to deal with the security concerns. And certainly, we know that this is a difficult set of challenges, but they have to be addressed.”
Clinton said Al Qaeda was trying to use Yemen as a base for future terrorist attacks.
A Nigerian man has been accused of trying to detonate an explosive device that he allegedly smuggled on a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit. Passengers and crew stopped the attack. The suspect sustained burns, but no other injuries were reported, and the plane landed safely.
President Obama has ordered a review into how the weapon was smuggled through airline security and how the United States maintains its databases of people listed as potential terrorists. The man’s father, a prominent Nigerian banker, had warned authorities that his son was becoming more radicalized.
“With respect to what happened with the terrorist on the plane coming into Detroit, we are not satisfied,” Clinton said. ‘We are conducting an internal review.
“Based on what we know now, the State Department fully complied with the requirements set forth in the interagency process as to what should be done when a threat is – or when information about a potential threat is known. But we’re looking to see whether those procedures need to be changed, upgraded,” she said.
-- Michael Muskal
