US embassy cable - 03AMMAN6812

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006812 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, KWMN, ECON, JO 
SUBJECT: KING ABDULLAH LAYS OUT POLITICAL REFORM VISION FOR 
NEW JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 06767 
 
     B. AMMAN 06728 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for Reasons 1.5 (B,D) 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1.  (C) In a public letter to Prime Minister designate Faisal 
Fayez, King Abdullah laid out his general priorities for the 
new government, which he hopes will be more unified and 
proactive than its predecessor.  Noting that political 
development is "at the top of these priorities," the King 
emphasized adherence to the rule of law, judicial reform, a 
free and responsible press, equality for women, and greater 
accountability and transparency.  The King also stressed the 
need for continued economic reform to raise the economic 
growth rate and guarantee job opportunities for all 
Jordanians.  The new Cabinet is expected to be announced on 
October 25.  End Summary. 
 
-------------------------- 
"MINISTERS, NOT EMPLOYEES" 
-------------------------- 
 
2.  (U) Late on October 23, the Palace issued a public letter 
from King Abdullah to Prime Minister designate Faisal Fayez. 
In the letter charging Fayez with forming a new government, 
the King laid out his general expectations for the new 
Cabinet Ministers and his goals for Jordan's future. 
 
3.  (U) While the King's letter thanked the outgoing 
government of Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb for its service 
and achievements, it also noted that "its performance was 
sometimes characterized by weakness and lack of coordination 
between its members."  The King expects the new government, 
on the other hand, to be "harmonious with itself" and marked 
by "unified aims" and "full commitment by all members" so 
that it will be "one working team."  The letter further 
called for government decision making to be more rapid and 
less bureaucratic, "without any hesitation, apprehension, or 
delay."  Moreover, "absolute transparency coupled with the 
principle of accountability and taking responsibility for 
performance" are to be the hallmark of the new government. 
 
4.  (C) The letter's critical comments reflect the Palace's 
view that the outgoing government was at times unorganized, 
slow to act, and lacking in a shared sense of purpose needed 
to carry out the King's goals.  Prince Faisal Bin al Hussein 
recently told a visiting U.S. military official that the old 
government was not proactive enough and did not have a well 
organized plan to implement the Palace's agenda.  The new 
government, according to Prince Faisal, will contain 
Ministers who are fully on board with the King's priorities 
and are more "programmatic," having a coherent plan of action 
to guide them. 
 
5.  (C) The reported consolidation of Cabinet portfolios and 
reduction in number of Ministers (see ref a) should help the 
King's stated goal of streamlining government decision making 
and expediting policy implementation.  In an interview with 
the Financial Times, Bassem Awadallah, likely to retain his 
position as Minister of Planning, said that, "The King feels 
that this is a new phase.  He wants to downsize government. 
The means of delivery and governance are going to change." 
 
---------------------------------------- 
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT TAKES CENTER STAGE 
---------------------------------------- 
 
6.  (U) The King's letter envisions Jordan as a 
"firmly-rooted democratic Islamic Arab state that has a 
developed economy and is founded on the principles of 
justice, equality, and equal opportunities for everyone under 
the canopy of political pluralism, rule of law, and respect 
for rights."  To achieve this vision, the letter says that 
political development will be  "at the top" of the new 
government's priorities.  Emphasizing the need for all parts 
of society to participate in this development, the letter 
specifically calls for the "active and real participation of 
Jordanian women . . . in all walks of life" and pledges to 
enable women to "exercise (their) full rights in society." 
 
7.  (U) The King's vision for political reform also includes 
"strong, unified national (political) parties" facilitated by 
a new political parties law, in addition to a more democratic 
elections law.  Democracy is to be based on "dialogue" and 
"respect for the opinions of others" with "political openness 
to all sectors of society."  It further encompasses "judicial 
reform that embodies honesty, neutrality, and protection of 
rights." 
 
8.  (U) With respect to the press, the letter asserts that 
the Jordanian media has "failed to convey our message and 
display our achievements to citizens, and remained passive 
recipients rather than influential players."  To rectify this 
situation, it calls for "honest and responsible media that 
embody the country's conscience and identity and enjoys 
freedom of expression and diversity in opinion." 
 
---------------------------------- 
MORE ECONOMIC REFORMS STILL NEEDED 
---------------------------------- 
 
9.  (U) In addition to political reforms, the King's vision 
for Jordan outlined in his letter recognizes economic 
development as a "core" priority.  While recognizing that 
some economic difficulties lay outside of government control, 
the letter states that "it is time that we address domestic 
reasons that impede achievement of economic development." 
This in turn requires economic and administrative reforms 
based on Jordan's competitive advantages and which "reward 
the hardworking, spur the reluctant and cast out the 
corrupt."  The letter calls for "attracting investments" and 
"modernizing laws and regulations," as well as vocational and 
professional training. 
 
-------------------- 
AND IN PASSING . . . 
-------------------- 
 
10.  (U) The King's letter only offers a few statements on 
issues outside of the economy and political/democratic 
development.  There is only one reference to Parliament:  "We 
aspire for a government that cooperates with Parliament and 
coordinates with our legislative authority to help boost its 
performance and monitoring function."  With respect to 
foreign policy, the letter describes a government that will 
be "a supportive force for the brotherly Palestinian people 
with the aim of helping them achieve their goals of 
liberation and independence."  It similarly calls for "real 
support for the brotherly Iraq in its pursuit of its free and 
independent will" and seeks the bolstering of "joint Arab 
action." 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
11.  (C) King Abdullah's letter to Fayez is heavy on broad 
concepts and short on details.  It is a flowery, idealized 
vision of the future, not a presentation of specific 
initiatives.  Still, it is noteworthy in that it sets out 
ambitious goals that embrace many of the values (e.g., civil 
liberties and economic freedom) that post is working to 
promote in Jordan.  The word "transparency" is littered 
throughout the document, signaling that the King may be 
serious about holding the government more accountable for its 
performance to the public.  References to freedom of the 
press, however, always speak of the need for "responsible 
media," suggesting that the King does not seek a completely 
unfettered press. 
 
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