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EMBASSY/CONSULATE ADDRESSES

Diplomatic representation in US:
Chief of mission: Ambassador Abdulwahab A. AL-HAJJRI
Embassy: 2319 Wyoming Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760, 4761
FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017

US diplomatic representation:
Chief of mission: Gerald M. Feierstein
Embassy: Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District,
Sanaa
Mailing address: P. O. Box 22347 Sanaa; Sanaa,
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6330
Telephone: [967] (1) 238843 through 238852
FAX: [967] (1) 251563


Embassy and Consulate Web Sites for Yemen

U.S. Embassy Web Site in Yemen
Embassy of Yemen in Washington DC


FOREIGN RELATIONS

The geography and ruling Imams of north Yemen kept the country isolated from foreign influence before 1962. The country's relations with Saudi Arabia were defined by the Taif Agreement of 1934, which delineated the northernmost part of the border between the two kingdoms and set the framework for commercial and other intercourse. The Taif Agreement has been renewed periodically in 20-year increments, and its validity was reaffirmed in 1995. Relations with the British colonial authorities in Aden and the south were usually tense.

The Soviet and Chinese Aid Missions established in 1958 and 1959 were the first important non-Muslim presence in north Yemen. Following the September 1962 revolution, the Yemen Arab Republic became closely allied with and heavily dependent upon Egypt. Saudi Arabia aided the royalists in their attempt to defeat the Republicans and did not recognize the Yemen Arab Republic until 1970. Subsequently, Saudi Arabia provided Yemen substantial budgetary and project support. At the same time, Saudi Arabia maintained direct contact with Yemeni tribes, which sometimes strained its official relations with the Yemeni Government. Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis found employment in Saudi Arabia during the late 1970s and 1980s.

In February 1989, north Yemen joined Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt informing the Arab Cooperation Council (ACC), an organization created partly in response to the founding of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and intended to foster closer economic cooperation and integration among its members. After unification, the Republic of Yemen was accepted as a member of the ACC in place of its YAR predecessor. In the wake of the Gulf crisis, the ACC has remained inactive. Yemen is not a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

British authorities left southern Yemen in November 1967 in the wake of an intense terrorist campaign. The people's democratic Republic of Yemen, the successor to British colonial rule, had diplomatic relations with many nations, but its major links were with the Soviet Union and other Marxist countries. Relations between it and the conservative Arab states of the Arabian Peninsula were strained. There were military clashes with Saudi Arabia in 1969 and 1973, and the PDRY provided active support for the Dhofar rebellion against the Sultanate of Oman. The PDRY was the only Arab state to vote against admitting new Arab states from the Gulf area to the United Nations and the Arab League. The PDRY provided sanctuary and material support to various international terrorist groups.

Yemen is a member of the United Nations, the Arab League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Yemen participates in the nonaligned movement. The Republic of Yemen accepted responsibility for all treaties and debts of its predecessors, the YAR and the PDRY. Yemen has acceded to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The Gulf crisis dramatically affected Yemen's foreign relations. As a member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in 1990-1991, Yemen abstained on a number of UNSC resolutions concerning Iraq and Kuwait, and voted against the "use of force resolution." Western and Gulf Arab states reacted by curtailing or canceling aid programs and diplomatic contacts. At least 850,000 Yemenis returned from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.

Subsequent to the liberation of Kuwait, Yemen continued to maintain high-level contacts with Iraq. This hampered its efforts to rejoin the Arab mainstream and to mend fences with its immediate neighbors. In 1993, Yemen launched an unsuccessful diplomatic offensive to restore relations with its Gulf neighbors. Some of its aggrieved neighbors actively aided the south during the 1994 civil war. Since the end of that conflict, tangible progress has been made on the diplomatic front in restoring normal relations with Yemen's neighbors. The Omani-Yemeni border has been officially demarcated. In the summer of 2000, Yemen and Saudi Arabia signed an International Border Treaty settling a 50-year-old dispute over the location of the border between the two countries. Yemen also settled its dispute with Eritrea over the Hanish Islands in 1998.

U.S.-YEMEN RELATIONS
The United States established diplomatic relations with the Imamate in 1946. A resident legation, later elevated to embassy status, was opened in Taiz (the capital at the time) on March 16, 1959 and moved to Sanaa in 1966. The United States was one of the first countries to recognize the Yemen Arab Republic, doing so on December 19, 1962. A major U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) program constructed the Mocha-Taiz-Sanaa highway and the Kennedy memorial water project in Taiz, as well as many smaller projects. On June 6, 1967, the YAR, under Egyptian influence, broke diplomatic relations with the United States in the wake of the Arab-Israeli conflict of that year. Secretary of State William P. Rogers restored relations following a visit to Sanaa in July 1972, and a new USAID agreement was concluded in 1973.

On December 7, 1967, the United States recognized the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and elevated its Consulate General in Aden to embassy status. However, relations were strained. The PDRY was placed on the list of nations that support terrorism. On October 24, 1969, south Yemen formally broke diplomatic relations with the United States. The United States and the PDRY reestablished diplomatic relations on April 30, 1990, only 3 weeks before the announcement of unification. However, the embassy in Aden, which closed in 1969, was never reopened, and the PDRY as a political entity no longer exists.

During a 1979 border conflict between the Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, the United States cooperated with Saudi Arabia to greatly expand the security assistance program to the YAR by providing F-5 aircraft, tanks, vehicles and training. George H.W. Bush, while Vice President, visited in April 1986, and President Ali Abdullah Saleh visited the United States in January 1990. The United States had a $42 million USAID program in 1990. From 1973 to 1990, the United States provided the YAR with assistance in the agriculture, education, and health and water sectors. Many Yemenis were sent on U.S. Government scholarships to study in the region and in the United States. There was a Peace Corps program with about 50 volunteers. The U.S. Information Service operated an English-language institute in Sanaa.

In 1990, as a result of Yemen's actions in the Security Council following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the United States drastically reduced its presence in Yemen including canceling all military cooperation, non-humanitarian assistance, and the Peace Corps program. USAID levels dropped in FY 1991 to $2.9 million, but food assistance through the PL 480 and PL 416 (B) programs continued through 2006. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided 30,000 metric tons of soybean meal that were sold for approximately $7.5 million to finance programs in support of Yemen’s agricultural sector.

The United States was actively involved in and strongly supportive of parliamentary elections in 1993 as well as the 2006 presidential and local council elections, and continues working to strengthen Yemen's democratic institutions. The USAID program, focused in the health field, slowly increased to $8.5 million in FY 1995, but experienced a brief hiatus after 2000. In 2003, USAID reopened its mission in Yemen with assistance principally focused on basic education, maternal and child health, and agriculture. The program has increased substantially since then; FY 2010 funding for USAID programs in Yemen is expected to be approximately $48 million with programs focused primarily on livelihoods and governance. In addition, since 2004 the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) has provided more than $2.7 million in grants directly to Yemeni organizations supporting civil society. Approximately 30 local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have implemented programs in priority areas such as anti-money laundering/counterterrorism finance and early childhood marriage.

Defense relations between Yemen and the United States are improving rapidly, with the resumption of International Military Education and Training assistance and the transfer of military equipment and spare parts. In FY 2009 U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Yemen was $2.8 million, International Military Education and Training (IMET) was $1 million, and Non-Proliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) was $2.5 million. In FY 2009 Yemen also received $19.8 million in Economic Support Funds (ESF), $11.2 million in development assistance, and $67.1 million in Section 1206 funding.

In November 2006, a World Bank-sponsored international donor conference in London resulted in pledges of $4.7 billion for Yemen's development. The funds were to be disbursed between 2007 and 2010; however, delivery was much slower than expected and remains incomplete. In January 2010, the U.K. hosted a ministerial meeting in London, gathering Western and Arab countries with interests in Yemen. They launched the “Friends of Yemen.” Through the formation of two working groups on “Economy and Governance” and “Justice and Rule of Law,” the “Friends” process has helped identify short-term priorities and develop a coordinated response to Yemen’s many challenges. The “Friends” met at another ministerial-level meeting in New York in September 2010 and will follow up with recommendations at another ministerial meeting to be scheduled in February 2011.

Yemen is an important partner in counterterrorism efforts, providing assistance in the military, diplomatic, and counterterrorism finance arenas. Yemen has stepped up its counterterrorism cooperation efforts with the United States, achieving significant results and improving overall security in Yemen. In November 2005 and May 2007, President Saleh visited high-level officials in Washington, including President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Gerald M. Feierstein
Deputy Chief of Mission--Elizabeth Richard
Chief, Political, Economic, and Commercial Section--James P. McCormick
Chief, Public Affairs Office--Deborah Smith

The address of the U.S. Embassy in Yemen is P.O. Box 22347, Sanaa, Republic of Yemen.


TRAVEL ADVISORIES

To obtain the latest Travel Advisory Information for Yemen check the U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet.


TRAVEL TIPS

Driving U.S Driving Permit and International Driving Permit are required
Currency (YER) Yemeni rial
Electrical 220/230 Volts
Telephones Country Code 967

Customs and currency:
A visa is required for US citizens and may be obtained at the Republic of Yemen Embassy in Washington, DC, or the Mission to the United Nations, 211 East 43d St., New York, NY 10017. Customs controls prohibit liquor. Persons arriving in the Republic of Yemen may be required to change US $150 into Yemeni rials at the time of arrival; sufficient funds should, therefore, be carried to meet this requirement.

Climate and clothing:
Climate varies according to area; cool and dry at high elevations (Sanaa), hot and humid along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden coastal plains. Lightweight wash-and-wear clothing is best.

Health:
Smallpox, yellow fever, cholera, typhoid, and gamma globulin shots are recommended; check current health


CUSTOMS/DUTIES

Tobacco....600 Cigarettes or 60 Cigars or 500g of Tobacco

Liquor.....2 Bottles of Alcoholic Beverages (non-Muslims only)

Perfume....568ml of Perfume or Eau de Toilette

Gifts......Up to a value of YR 100,000

Cameras....No Restrictions

Currency...No Restrictions



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