Military

DATE=2/11/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=BUSH YEMEN (S ONLY)

NUMBER=2-286320

BYLINE= PAULA WOLFSON

DATELINE= WHITE HOUSE

VOICED AT:

INTRO: President Bush called Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh Monday to discuss the war on terrorism. V-O-A's Paula Wolfson reports the call followed talks in Yemen's capital between President Saleh and General Tommy Franks, commander of the U-S-led military campaign in Afghanistan.

TEXT: White House spokesman Ari Fleischer says President Bush thanked Yemen's leader for his role in combating terrorism.

He told reporters Mr. Bush expressed appreciation for recent efforts to keep terrorists out of Yemen. He said the two men also agreed on the need for a sustained effort and continued cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

Co-operation was one of the themes of a meeting earlier in the day between President Saleh and General Tommy Franks, the head of the U-S Central Command.

After the talks, General Franks said Washington does not expect to deploy combat troops in Yemen to hunt down suspected terrorists. However, he said the United States will help the Saleh government with military training and other assistance.

Last week, President Bush asked the U-S Congress to approve two million dollars in military aid for Yemen. Washington has been urging Yemen to cooperate in fighting terrorism since 17 American sailors were killed in the October 2000 attack on the U-S-S Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden. (signed)

NEB/PW/MAR