President Saleh had said secret cells exist, but PM says… No al-Qaeda in Yemen [Archives:2002/22/Front Page]

Prime Minister Abdulqader Bajamal has denied any presence of al-Qaeda network in Yemen.
There is no al-Qaeda in Yemen, he said, adding What we have is people connected with detainees who came from Afghanistan.
However, president Ali Saleh said last week in an interview that there are small secret cells of al-Qaeda operating in Yemen.
The prime minister disclosed many shortcomings in the military and security authorities. He said they faced a lot of problems due to lack of training.
We welcome the US trainers in Yemen if that will serve the national interest, said Bajamal. The government is responsible for security and it chooses whom to deal with according to our national interest.
He pointed out that Yemen will seek the help of some countries other than the US to build up the marine patrol police in addition to the demining program.
Extremists
When asked about the people behind the latest explosions in Sanaa, he accused some Satanic forces or right or left extremists.
He showed resentment at journalists for taking their sources from the websites, including the statements of al-Qaeda Sympathizers which were distributed through email.
The PM said websites cannot be trusted as sources of information.

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