The Middle East Digest provides text and audio from the Daily Press Briefing. For the full briefings, please visit daily press briefings.
From the Daily Press Briefing of December 17, 2009
View Video
MR. WOOD: I think you all know about the United States-United Arab Emirates agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation. There will be an exchange of diplomatic notes between Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher. And this will be at 2 p.m. in the Department of State Treaty Room and the event is open for press coverage.
QUESTION: There’s an opposition website in Yemen saying that the U.S. is involved with the Yemeni Government in an attack on al-Qaida operatives there that killed al-Qaida and civilians. Was the U.S. involved in any way in the operations in Yemen?
MR. WOOD: Without regard to this particular case, I can tell you that we have been – we cooperate with the Government of Yemen and other governments around the world in fighting al-Qaida and others practicing terrorism. But I don’t have anything for you with that specific case.
I also want to make sure people understand that this particular case is separate from the whole effort that the Yemeni Government has underway in trying to counter the Houthi rebels. So I just wanted to make sure that was clear, because some people had the two kind of mixed up, and I just wanted to make sure that we clarified that.
