US embassy cable - 03AMMAN6767

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 006767 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, KWMN, ECON, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S NEW GOVERNMENT TAKES SHAPE, BUT STILL 
EVOLVING 
 
REF: AMMAN 06728 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for Reasons 1.5 (B,D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) King Abdullah formally accepted the resignation of 
Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb on October 22 and entrusted 
Royal Court Minister Faisal Fayez with forming a new 
government.  Political insiders, however, express doubt over 
Fayez's ability to effectively lead a team of Ministers to 
implement reforms.  No final decisions have been made on the 
appointment of new Ministers, but Embassy sources indicate 
that Jordan's new Cabinet may contain a substantial number of 
Ministers from Abul Ragheb's outgoing government.  The 
still-evolving list of prospective Ministers as of now 
contains no great surprises and signals no major changes with 
respect to current economic policies.  The possible inclusion 
of several women and a Minister for Political Development 
would lend credence to the reported new emphasis on human 
rights and democracy.  End Summary. 
 
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ABUL RAGHEB IS OUT, FAYEZ IS IN 
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2.  (U) Information Minister Nabil Sharif told the press late 
October 21 that Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb would submit 
his resignation to King Abdullah October 22 upon the King's 
return from an overseas trip.  A follow-up official statement 
late on October 22 confirmed that Abul Ragheb had tendered 
his resignation, which was accepted by the King. 
 
3.  (U) The Palace officially announced that King Abdullah 
has chosen Royal Court Minister Faisal Fayez to succeed Abul 
Ragheb as Prime Minister and asked him to form a new 
government.  Sharif earlier described Fayez as having "the 
respect of and admiration of many Jordanians," and further 
said that Fayez was "a well experienced politician who is 
absolutely capable of carrying out responsibilities and 
serving his country and his people." 
 
4.  (C) Despite Sharif's rather glowing characterization, the 
choice of Fayez as Prime Minister has not inspired confidence 
among Embassy contacts.  As reported reftel, Fayez is seen as 
lacking the experience, influence and vision necessary to 
implement an ambitious reform agenda.  During a conversation 
with the DCM on October 21, outgoing Finance Minister Michel 
Marto said that Abul Ragheb asked him if he would be willing 
to serve as Minister of Finance under Fayez, but that he 
declined.  Marto explained that while Fayez was a very nice 
person socially, he had no concept of budget or fiscal 
discipline. 
 
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A NEW CABINET BEGINS TO EMERGE 
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5.  (C) King Abdullah is holding a two-day retreat with 
prospective members of the new Cabinet (see reftel) before he 
makes any final decisions on government Ministers.  Drawing 
from a variety of sources, we have put together lists of 
possible Cabinet Ministers.  Biographic information for the 
full Cabinet will be provided septel when the Cabinet is 
officially announced, possibly as early as Saturday.  We 
caution that these lists are not/not final, but a compilation 
of insider information and informed speculation. 
 
6.  (C) The following Ministerial positions have so far been 
associated with only one name by the press and/or Embassy 
contacts.  Even though there may be a consensus that these 
are the present front-runners, the selection process is a 
work in progress and the King may change his mind at any time 
before public announcements are made. 
 
Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Trade/Industry:  Mohammad 
Halaiqa (current Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs) 
 
Minister of Planning:  Bassem Awadallah (current Minister of 
Planning) 
 
Minister of Information Technology:  Fawaz Zubi (current 
Minister of Information Technology) 
 
Minister of Finance:  Mohammad Abu Hammour (current Minister 
of Trade & Industry) 
 
Minister of Education & Higher Education:  Khalid Touqan 
(current Minister of Education) 
 
Minister of Islamic Affairs:  Ahmad Hilayel (current Minister 
of Islamic Affairs) 
 
Minister of Energy:  Azmi Khreisat (new) 
 
Minister of Water & Agriculture:  Hazem Nasser (current 
Minister of Water) 
Minister of Tourism & the Environment:  Alia Bouran (new) 
 
Minister of Public Works & Transport:  Hosni Abu Gheida 
(current Minister of Public Works) 
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs:  Marwan Muasher (current 
Minister of Foreign Affairs) 
 
Minister of Justice & Prime Ministry Affairs:  Salah 
Al-Bashir (former Minister of Trade & Industry) 
 
Minister of Political Development & Parliamentary Affairs: 
Mohammad Dawudiyyeh (new) 
 
Minister of Municipality Affairs:  Amal Farhan (new) 
Minister of Health:  Said Darwazeh (new) 
 
7.  (C) In addition to the above list, the following 
prospective Cabinet positions are even more uncertain: 
 
Minister of Interior:  Samir Habashneh (current Minister of 
Interior) OR Ali Khalifeh (new) 
 
Minister of Labor:  Amjed Majali (new) OR Muzahim Muhaisin 
(current Minister of Labor) 
 
8.  (C)  As reported reftel, it is widely expected that the 
new Cabinet will be reduced in size from 29 to approximately 
20 Ministers.  Some Ministries will likely be abolished 
(e.g., Ministry of Information, Ministry of Culture) while 
others will be consolidated (e.g., Water & Agriculture, 
Education & Higher Education). 
 
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BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING? 
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9.  (C) In addition to the two prospective female Ministers 
listed above (i.e., Alia Bouran and Amal Farhan), one 
additional Cabinet portfolio -- possibly Social Development 
-- may be given to a woman.  Names up for consideration 
include:  Widjan Saket, Salwa Masri and Hala Latouf.  The 
Ambassador was told by an informed Cabinet source that 
another woman, outspoken human rights activist Asma Khader, 
is a leading candidate for official government spokesperson. 
While not a Cabinet Minister, this is nevertheless an 
important position with high visibility. 
 
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MORE FOCUS ON SOCIAL PROGRESS 
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10. (C) Based on the current list of possible Cabinet 
members, a large number of the new Ministers may be carried 
over from the outgoing government.  This should provide for a 
large degree of continuity, especially with respect to 
economic policies.  Mohammad Halaiqa told the Ambassador on 
October 22 that he would be given broad control of the 
overall economic portfolio in the new government, with 
specific pieces of the economy given to other Ministers. 
While it has been rumored that Michel Marto will be picked as 
the new Governor of the Central bank, Marto told the DCM that 
he has not been offered the position, although he would 
accept if asked. 
 
11.  (C) The inclusion of up to three women in the new 
Cabinet would serve as a visible symbol of the Palace's 
oft-stated commitment to promote empowerment of women. 
Similarly, the addition of a Minister for Political 
Development, especially if given a serious role, would be a 
sign that King Abdullah intends to put more effort into 
broadening the political system and encouraging greater 
democracy, though to what extent remains unknown. 
 
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POSSIBLE WARNING SIGNS 
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12.  (C) Not all political insiders appear happy with the 
prospective new Cabinet.  Marto confided to the DCM that in 
his opinion, the incoming government contained "several 
ignoramuses and one nit-wit," and that he wished them all 
good luck as "they will need it." 
 
13.  (C) Halaiqa told the Ambassador he was concerned over 
the inclusion of too many young, inexperienced Ministers and 
envisioned press headlines that read "The Kids Are Coming!" 
Halaiqa said that he recommended to the King and Fayez that 
the new Cabinet contain two to three experienced 
"heavyweights" to counter this reaction, but did not get the 
impression that they would follow his advice.  Halaiqa 
further stated that one or more of the potential Ministers 
had undefined "problems" with Parliament, and that he had 
encouraged Fayez to call the leaders of parliamentary blocs 
(many of who are currently traveling outside of Jordan) 
before any Ministers were publicly announced to make them 
feel part of the process and ward off avoidable criticism 
from MPs. 
 
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COMMENT 
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14.  (C) King Abdullah may yet make changes to his current 
"short list" of Cabinet Ministers based on the outcome of the 
Aqaba retreat.  The King appears to want solid commitments to 
his priorities by all prospective Ministers.  Fayez faces a 
formidable challenge as Prime Minister given his relative 
lack of political experience and influence, but his close 
relationship with the King will go a long way to getting him 
through the tough road ahead of him. 
 
15.  (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
 
Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at 
http://www.state.sgov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through 
the Department of State's SIPRNET home page. 
GNEHM