US embassy cable - 03AMMAN7179

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 007179 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, ECON, JO 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON NEW JORDANIAN MINISTER FOR 
MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS: GRADUAL REFORM, BUDGET PROBLEMS 
 
REF: AMMAN 04891 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for Reasons 1.5 (B,D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) Minister for Municipal Affairs Armal Farhan praised 
new Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez and his cabinet, as well 
as King Abdullah's direction of the new government.  Although 
the King is "serious" about political development, Farhan 
said that democratic reforms must be "gradual" and that the 
government will not propose any changes to the provisional 
Municipal Elections Law.  Farhan also lamented her ministry's 
lack of financial resources.  End summary. 
 
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GOVERNMENT CHEERLEADER 
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2.  (C) Ambassador and PolOff made a courtesy call November 2 
on new Minister for Municipal Affairs, Armal Farhan.  Farhan 
expressed much enthusiasm for the new government, saying that 
the cabinet's retreat with King Abdullah in Aqaba had been 
"fantastic" and that the King had demonstrated "a clear mind 
and strategy" regarding his vision for Jordan.  Farhan also 
characterized the new cadre of ministers as "sharp and fast," 
while calling Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez a "grand person" 
who is "gracious and honest." 
 
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NO RUSH TOWARDS DEMOCRACY 
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3.  (C) When asked about the King's plans for political 
development, Farhan responded that the King was "serious" 
about moving towards greater democracy.  Farhan cautioned, 
however, that democratic reforms had to be "gradual."  She 
also said that in her personal view, democratization had to 
come after economic development. 
 
4.  (C) Farhan further stated that the new government did not 
currently plan to abandon or change the provisional Municipal 
Elections Law which provides for the appointment, rather than 
direct election, of all mayors and half the members of 
municipal councils (see reftel).  Farhan said that the 
appointees were a well-qualified group and would help improve 
the efficiency and responsiveness of local governments. 
 
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FEELING THE FINANCIAL PINCH 
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5.  (C) Regarding her work priorities, Farhan opined that she 
wanted to move the Ministry of Municipal Affairs beyond 
merely providing services to playing more of an instrumental 
role in promoting economic and social development in the 
country.  To do this, however, requires additional money. 
Farhan lamented that presently she did not even have 
sufficient funds to pay all the salaries and bonuses of 
ministry employees for the month of Ramadan. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6.  (C) Farhan is unquestionably excited about her inclusion 
in the new government, despite the challenges that lie ahead 
of her.  Perhaps reflecting her many years as head of the 
business faculty at the University of Jordan, Farhan appears 
much more focused on the economics of municipal governance 
than in encouraging greater citizen involvement in local 
affairs. 
 
Visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman or access the site 
through the State Department's SIPRNET home page. 
GNEHM