Progress

Yemen's President Open to al Qaeda Talks

Will show leniency to those who renounce violence.

Although this tactic hasn't proved successful in the past, Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh says he is ready to talk to al Qaeda members and show leniency to those who renounce violence and other extremist practices. So far, Yemen’s leaders have been cautious about their involvement with the U.S. due to concerns of a backlash. A former Yemeni fighter warned, "Any movement against al Qaeda will lead to the fall of the Yemeni regime," which would increase the number of al Qaeda members from 30 or 40 to millions. Since the attempted Christmas Day bombing—which allegedly originated in Yemen—the country has become a "global threat," and the U.S. has increased money and training for Yemen's counterterror forces. President Saleh's opinion that "dialogue is the best way" to reason with al Qaeda and agreement to help crack down on terrorism is welcomed by the U.S., but his same efforts were previously unsuccessful and militants who were released have allegedly returned to al Qaeda.