fit in and it held the team. >> congressman from montana, thank you very much for your time today. >> great to be here with you. pleasure. >> coming up to night here on c-span3, we'll hear testimony on on going violence in yemen. then campaign 2016 coverage continues with the discussion on hillary clinton and senator marco rubio's entrantsce into the presidential race. then we sit down with former ambassador to iraq, chris hill, to discuss the u.s.-iraq policy in the iran nuclear deal. and later we'll show you several of our conversations introducing new members of congress. >> next, a house foreign affairs subcommittee hears from former u.s. ambassador to yemen gerald fire firestein. he discusses the administration's partnerships and plans for counter-terrorism

in the region. from capitol hill, this is about 90 minutes. >> after recognizing myself and ranking member deutsche for five minutes, as soon as he shows up each for opening statements, i will then recognize other members seeking recognition for one minute. we will then hear from our witness and without objection, mr. ambassador, members may have

five days in which to insert statements for the record subject to the length limitation and rules. the subcommittee invited the department of defense to send an official to testify before us this afternoon built dod stated that they were unable to participate at this hearing. and declined to come. but we got the better of the deal because we have you, mr. ambassador. the chair now recognizes herself for five minutes. on september 10th of last year, president obama announced to the american public his plan to degrade and destroy the terrorist group isil. while making his case for america's role in the fight against isil, he highlighted our strategy in yemen and held it up as a model for success to be emulated in the fight against isil. yet, a week later, the iran

backed militia seize the the government. they continued to hail our counter terror operations in yemen as a model for success even though we effectively had no partner on the ground since president hadi was forced to flee. but more astonishingly and what can described as larmingly tone deaf and shortsighted when press secretary earnest was asked at a press briefing if this model was still successful after the yemeni central government collapsed and the u.s. withdrew all of our personnel including our special forces, he said yes, despite all indications pointing to the contrary. so where do we stand now? that's the important question. president obama hadi was forced to flee. saudi arabia led a coalition of over ten arab operations and operation decisive storm which consisted of air strikes only but very well could include

ground forces in the near future. iran feels embolden in yemen because of the leverage they gained over the administration through the nuclear negotiations. but i commend the gulf countries, the gcc countries for taking a strong stance against iran and stepping up to the plate in yemen. despite their action they actually control more territory now than they did before the saudi response. our embassy is closed. our personnel are evacuated and there's no hadi government to speak of. and al qaeda and arabian peninsula has taken advantage of the fighting and has capitalized on the deteriorating situation in yemen and we have very little visibility into the movements or their actions. i'm concerned that the aqap has gained ground in eastern yemen

and has been left virtually unchecked to recruit and train. let's not forget that it was aqap that was responsible for the pair ace tacks earlier this year. or that it was al qaeda and the arabian peninsula that was responsible for overtaking a prison last month and releasing several hundreds of prisoners including a senior operative of al qaeda. aqap's leader is a follower of bin laden and like bin laden, also seeks to strike western targets including right here in our homeland in the united states. iran has reportedly dispatched a naval destroyer near yemen in a game of chicken over one of the most important shipping routes in the gulf of aiden. this area is a gateway between europe and the middle east and iran yaz not be allowed to escalate any tensions nor attempt to disrupt the shipping lanes. yet, we continue to see the administration make the same

mistakes it made in syria. and just like in syria today yemen is an utter chaos in large part due to iran's antagonism and meddling. but we must learn our lesson from syria and engage in the yemeni crisis head on with a comprehensive strategy before it spirals further out of control. there will be no political solution in yemen based on the gcc initiative or restarting the national dialogue conference that collapsed in early 2014 without addressing the underlying issues. they were reluctant participants in the national dialogue in yemen but it was clear that they had no interest in seeding power over to a centralized government. as a result, they withdrew from the national dialogue. it collapsed and they took control over sana and now other areas. so why would the administration think that the circumstances have changed that would allow

for reconciliation to occur? it is naive and dangerous to believe that a political solution is achievable as long as the hoojys are unwilling to see their power and as long as iran continues its support for the fighters just like it is naive and dangerous to believe that a political solution in syria is achievable as long as assad remains in power. even more absurd is the fact that iran, just this morning, has allegedly proposed a peace plan for yemen. this is the same iran that continues to use its terrorism tentacles throughout the region to undermine u.s. interests and by supplying arms and fighters aimed to further destabilize its neighboring countries. so today we hope to hear from the administration that we have a comprehensive plan on how to get to a political solution rather than just supporting a reconciliation process while also addressing the current gap

in our intelligence and counter terror capabilities in yemen as well as the deteriorating humanitarian situation. because if we act in yemen in the same way we have acted in syria, then we are likely going to see the same crisis follow in yemen. a war with no end in sight the rise of dangerous terror groups, a dire humanitarian crisis and iran's increased power grab in the region. and with that i will go to mr. connolly for perhaps one minute because when mr. deutsche comes he'll give his five minutes. mr. connolly is recognized. >> thank you madam chairman, thank you for having the hearing. in listening to the resuscitation just now of what happened in yemen and what happened in syria one would, i guess, iner if or one is meant to iner if that it's all the problem and result of policies pursued or not pursued by

president obama and his administration. nothing could be further from the truth. the inherent instability in yemen is not new. and it certainly is not unique to the administration currently in power. yemen is inherently unstable. it has multiple militia forces and jihadist forces at work. towns have been taken and retain and transferred. terrorism and brutality have occurred. and we may very well, there are our movements to bifurcate the country as it once was. the instability in the region is not the fault or responsibility of any administration. our question really has to be how do we respond when there are no good options? how do we do the least harm? how do we try however indirectly to effect outcomes positively?

i don't think it is very helpful. >> thank you, madam chair for holding this hearing. i want to say at the outset i have an honor flight coming in shortly. i have somebody from bangladesh here. i was clair of this committeehair of this committee a while back. i went to yemen and mr. connolly is right, there have been problems there for years. but i would argue that they certainly have gotten worse under the administration and you know it was this administration that claimed that yemen was a success story and clearly it has been anything but that. when we were on our way over there, there was an -- a terrorist attack on a graduation

at the military barracks and over 100 new soldiers were murdered by terrorists. so it's been going on for a while. but the problems in yemen are just incredible. i think the thing that is particularly disturbing is the iranian involvement there and around the region. it's four or five capitals now in the region that are controlled by the iranians. so it's a very dangerous situation. i look forward to the testimony. i won't be here. i'll certainly review that testimony. thank you for being here, mr. ambassador. >> thank you. good luck with that hanonor flight. it is always very emotional. we'll recognize mr. deutsche after the minutes with his con sent. we'll go to mr. higgins of new york. >> thank you madam chair for holding this important hearing. you know, another trouble spot in a region that is -- that has pervasive trouble. there are no good options here for the united states. obviously, we have a great interest in trying to influence

stabilization in that region. so i'm very curious to hear the thoughts of our distinguished panelists today. additionally, it was announced that the u.n. security council imposed an arms embargo on the hoothie fighters. and that resolution which is legally binlding pro hiblts the sale of weapons to three named hoothie leaders former president and its son. i'm curious as to what if any impact that resolution will have relative to the die namic that is going on in gem enright now. thank you very much for being here. >> thank you sir. excellent question. mr. wilson of south carolina. >> thank you madam chair. thank you for your leader ship on this issue. ambassador, i just can't imagine a more extraordinary time for you to be serving as the deputy assistant secretary for the bureau of near eastern affairs. and, hey, i want you to succeed. but i am obviously very concerned about the evacuation,

what this means for the security of the united states and our allies. obviously i'm concerned about libya. the murders of benghazi with the rise of isil, failure to have a status forced agreement with iraq which leads to the destabilization of iraq. the regime in iran which has an ideology of death to america doej israel. that is their plan. and as they move ahead with the nuclear capability, also building missiles to include an icbm which can only be interpreted as a threat to the american people in american families and then finally of course very concerned about chaos and civil war in syria, the purported red line of the president which simply did not have any life and credibility. but, hey, i still want you to succeed. i look forward to working with chairwoman for your success. thank you. >> thank you, mr. wilson.

>> thank you madam chairman and ranking member deutsche for holding this very timely hearing. thank you, mr. ambassador, for being here today. i think it's safe to say that quick deterioration of the situation in yemen took many people here in washington by surprise for many years. yemen was held up as an example of counter-terrorism cooperation and it looked as if a political agreement might be achieved in the aftermath of the arab spring. the united states port approximately since the trance in addition 2011 to support counter-terrorism, political reconciliation, the economy and humanitarian aid. now we face a vastly different landscape and have to revise our assumptions and expectations. furthermore, we risk being drawn into another iranian backed armed con fwlikt in the middle east. i like to hear from the witness how we might have better detect detected the on coming rebellion and what would have been done to prevent it. what the u.s. role is and the conflict between the parties in

yemen and how we're cooperating with regional partners and what the prospect are for a solution to this conflict. i'm also very concerned with the plight of the civilians one of the poorest countries in the world and chaos disrupt an fragile economy and provide access to food water and medical care and like to hear from you and what we're doing to alleviate the humanitarian situation. i thank you very much and look forward to your testimony. i yield back. >> excellent questions. thank you. doctor does not need to address the panel now. so we'll go to miss manningg of new york. >> thank you, chair and ranking member for assembling this hearing and our distinguished ambassador for joining us here today. on january 21st, a fragile power sharing deal with the elected group in yemen fell apart and the hoothies began seizing control of yemen. the actions were troubling because of the hoothie's power an immediate dissolve of the

yemeni parliament. besides the complete disregard for a democratic principles, the hoothies have close ties to iran which is seeking to expand the influence in the middle east. on march 26th saudi arabia and more than 10 arab partners began arab strikes to weaken the strong hold and reinstate president hadi to the presidency. while i'm supportive of arab solidarity and intervention here, i'm deeply concerned about the possibility of a large humanitarian crisis in yemen and look forward to delving into these issues this afternoon. i yield back. >> thank you. miss frankel of florida. >> thank you madam chair. mr. ambassador thank you for being here. >> well, we've heard some of our -- my colleagues here describe iran's support for the hoothie forces as another iranian takeover in the region. and so i'm going to be -- i'm

interested in your assessment of that. given that they've been seeking recourse for decades now with strong ties to the former regime. i hope can you put iran's involvement in yes, ma'amen in this broad -- yemen in this broader context if you would. i would just add to the question is what extent is iran controlling events in yemen? is it more than funding supplies, weapons, or are there iranian forces actually directing action in the country as we've seen in syria and iraq? >> we were all the warmup group for our lead.

>> thank you for calling today's hearing and allowing us to address the recent troubling events in yemen. welcome back. following the deposition of the long time roll in 2011 the u.s. supported inclusive transition process via national dialogue aimed at rebuilding the country's political and governmental institutions and bridging gaps that between groups that have had a long history of conflict. yemen's first newly elected leader president hadi made clear his intentions to cooperate closely with the united states. hadi's government is a partner in counter terrorism cooperation and operations. yemen, the poorest country on the peninsula needed support from the international community. the united states has long viewed yemen for al qaeda terrorists and potential for recruitment by groups given the dire economic conditions they faced. in fact u.s. department of

homeland security considers this the affiliate most likely the al qaeda affiliate most likely to attempt transnational attacks against the united states. and while the national dialogue was initially viewed as successful, the process concludedconclude ed in 2014 with several key reform not completed. the government continued to face deep opposition for yemen's northern tribes mainly the shiite iranian backed rebels over the past year. in coordination with tribes and military units still loyal began increasing the territorial control eventually moving in to sanam. they were long thought to use the existing relationship to undermine the hadi government. they're well trained well funded and experience fighters having fought the yemeni government and saudi arabia in 2009. now much is written by experts and analysts about how deep iran's connection goes. some argue it's overblown and

that while they welcome iranian support, they're not an iranian proxy as hezbollah is. others suggest the united states has not in the past recognized how deep the level of support provided by iran is or what iran's real motives are in supporting the hoothies. perhaps the fullest extent of the involvement remains unknown. as secretary kerry said last week, there are obviously supplies coming from iran, he said. there are a number of flights every single week that have been flying in. we trace those flights and we know this. we're well aware of the support that eye rain is giving to yemen and iran needs to recognize that united states is not going to stand by while the region is detablized or while people engage in overt warfare across lines. the most troubling question i think to scam continue to day is whether the conflict in yemen has become a symptom of the larger power strug until the gulf. the saudi led military intervention is now in the third week. the u.s. has been providing resources and support to our regional partners engaged on the ground.

i would point out this is yet another example of why we must act in the closest of security cooperation with our gulf friends to koirnlt all of iran's destabilizing activities in the region. i was pleased to see reports this morning indicating the united states has step up our support inspecting ships bound for yemen in search of arms. similarly, to day's 14-0 vote by the security council to impose an arms embargo is a welcomed step and a needed show of unity from the international community. iran is in turn responding setting a flotilla to the gulf of aiden. last week on social media, iran's supreme leader attacked saudi arabia and the defense minister tweeting the youths have taken over the affairs of the state and are replacing dignity with bar bare ti. as members of congress, we are often asked by our constituents why the u.s. should be involved and what goes on in the middle east. they tell us years of conflict will not be solved by u.s. intervention. yes, ma'am sen a clear example of what is in our national interest. question not allow groups like

al qaeda which try to attack the united states in 2009 and 2011 and in 2012 to take advantage of chaos in yemen. we need the yemeni government that is going to be a partner in our counter-terrorism and regional security efforts. finally, the people of yemen have suffered long -- have long suffered under dire economic conditions. the population is more than quadrupled in the past 30 years. conflict is only making humanitarian situation worse. saudi arabia is delivering medical and humanitarian supplies but it is necessary for the international community to continue to support the people of yemen. we have seen all too well how quickly the humanitarian crisis can slip from the front pages of our papers. ambassador firestein, thank you for being here. given that the u.s. personnel has been evacuated, we look to you to tell us where u.s. policy toward yemen currently stands. will we continue to see increased level of involvement in the saudi led intervention? how can the security council resolutions pertaining be enforced and can there be a

military solution to yemen's internal crisis? we look forward to your responses. appreciate you being here and i yield back. >> thank you very much, mr. deutsche. excellent statement. and we're so pleased to welcome ambassador gerald firestein the principle deputy assistant secretary of the bureau of near eastern affairs. previously, he served as our ambassador to yes, ma'amen from 2010 to 2013. so he knows this area very well. he has served in several different postings throughout the middle east including as deputy chief of missions in islamabad and deputy council general in jerusalem. thank you for your service, mr. ambassador. we look forward to your testimony. and may i point out your lovely fiancee sitting behind you. welcome. does she know the hours that you put in every day in your job? she might want to reconsider. mr. ambassador? you're on. >> thank you so much madam chairman.

madam chairman ranking member deutsche, members of the committee, i greatly appreciate this opportunity to come before you today and review recent developments in yemen and the efforts that the united states is undertaking to support the government of yemen under president hadi and the saudi led coalition of operation decisive storm. that is aimed at restoring the legitimate government and restarting the negotiations to find peaceful political solutions to yemen's internal conflict. during the week of april 4th to 11th i travelled with the secretary of state to saudi arabia and oman. as part of the consultations we met with president hadi and members of his team. the saudi ministers of foreign affairs, defense and interior, the minister of foreign affairs as well as other senior officials and the ministries of

more than affairs and defense and the omany minister of state for foreign affairs and his deputy. in all of these engagements, we found a broad degree of consistency and to bring decisive storm to a rapid and successful conclusion. to establish that no party to the internal conflict in yemen will be able to achieve its objectives through violence and coercion and to set the framework for a return to negotiations leading to a clear, verifiable commitment on the part of all parties to the conflict to implement agreements and complete the political transition on the basis of the gcc initiative, the conclusions of the national dialogue conference and applicable u.n. security council resolutions. there is also a broad agreement among the leadership and yemen's neighbors that yemen should not be allowed to become a low customer for foreign intervention that destabilizes yemen or threatens the security

and stability of yemen's neighbors and the region at large. madam chairman as you know, a conflict in yes, ma'am sen enormously complicated and has roots that are largely per oakal and locally focused. yemen, the poorest country in the world with a long history of weak central governance as for many years struggled to meet the needs of the diverse constituencies and address their grievances. the failures of governance led to the fall of the previous regime in 2011. reflecting significant engagement by the united states and international community, the gcc initiative was put in place to help yemen transition to a new more inclusive government that will be responsive to the needs and aspirations of all yemen's communities. the tragedy of the current situation is at the political process that they established in 2011 was achieving success and we and they had reason to believe that it would lead to a

more open, democratic and prosperous nation that was the goal of the yemeni people. regrettably that transition has been sidetracked by the movement aided and abetted by asal and his allies who decided they would seek to achieve by force what they are had been unable to accomplish of the negotiating table. we hope it's a temporary delay. to the best of our understanding, they're not controlled directly by iran. however, we have seen in recent years significant growth and expansion of the engagement with the hoothies. they see opportunity to expand the influence in yemen and threaten saudi and gulf arab interests. iran provides financial support, weapons, training and intelligence to the hoothies and the weeks and months since they entered sana and force the

government first to resign and ultimately to flee from the capital, we have seen a significant expansion of iran yan involvement in the dpesomestic affairs. we're particularly concerned about the on going destabilizing role play by former president sava who since his removal from power in 2011 has actively plotted to undermine president hadi and the political transition process. despite u.n. sanctions and condemnation of his actions he continues to be one of the primary sources of the chaos in yemen. we have been working with our gulf partners and the nant agency will community to isolate him and prevent the continuation of his efforts to undermine the peaceful transition. success in that effort will go a long way to helping yemen return to a credible political transition process. finally, the dpeeestabilizations are beneficial. the deterioration at the

political situation in yemen has provided new openings for aqap to regain the ground that is lost in recent years. only to the efforts to the u.s. and yemeni governments to combat it. only through a negotiated resolution of the on going political conflict and ultimately to eliminate aqap threat to yemen the united states, and our friends and partners aren't world. thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you this afternoon. i look forward to answering any questions you may have about the situation in yemen and our policy responses. >> thank you so much, mr. ambassador. and you're certainly an expert in this area. and i note that it's important not to minimize iran's role in yemen or the sectarian nature of this conflict as i believe the administration seems determined to do. the administration has so far

provided only limited logistical support to the saudi led coalition. we waited to give them the intelligence that they needed for example, to know exactly where to hit. and the administration is hoping for a political solution without also having our own comprehensive strategies in the region. so we're essentially outsourcing our yemeni policy to the jcc and iran. gcc and iran. the gulf countries. aren't we in conversations with iran about the situation in yemen? or with hoothie rebels? and what is our plan if the hoothies refuse to accept a political resolution? >> madam chairman we believe that the iranians are well aware of our views and positions in ye