REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

Saleh’s diplomatic blunder

A geo-political slip-of-the-tongue may have earned Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh some goodwill in Iran.

Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh has lashed out at, well, almost everyone, in an interview with Russia Today. But one thing in his comments did catch my eye:

[Qatar] want to be a significant country, though – in the Persian Gulf and in the region in general. To that end, they are using the Al Jazeera TV channel.

Of course, blaming Al Jazeera and Qatar is nothing new it’s the use of the phrase “Persian Gulf” that stands out.

Is that just how RT chose to translate the comment, or did Saleh really call it the Persian Gulf?

If he did, it’s no wonder he’s not too popular with the GCC.