WikiLeaks: Yemen president downplays al-Qaida dealer's role
Yemenite President Ali Abdullah Saleh attempted to downplay the role of weapons dealers in Yemen and insisted on meeting then-president George W. Bush in person, according to a leaked US diplomatic cable from 2004.The cable, released by Wikileaks on Thursday, describes Saleh as claiming that Hadi Dulqum, a weapons dealer wanted by Saudi Arabia was a "simple arms dealer," while the US government agreed with the Saudis, saying that "Dulqum@@@s connections with al-Qaida are too extensive for him to be simply another Yemeni arms dealer."Saleh also said that there are important regional matters that he must discuss "face to face" with Bush.ByREUTERS06/08/2025 07:57 AMByREUTERS06/08/2025 05:36 AMByMAARIV06/07/2025 02:33 PMByWALLA!06/07/2025 11:18 AMByREUTERS06/07/2025 03:25 AM