US embassy cable - 03AMMAN7225

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 007225 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2013 
TAGS: PREL, IZ, SY, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN READOUT ON DAMASCUS FOREIGN MINISTER 
MEETING: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for Reasons 1.5 (B,D) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher 
described the foreign ministerial in Damascus in Iraq as 
unimportant, and faulted Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari's 
rejection of an 11th hour invitation as a mistake.  Muasher 
said that Zebari would be in included in all such future 
meetings.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) Following a series of weekend phone calls with 
Jordanian FM Muasher, who was seeking our assistance in 
convincing Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari to come to 
Syria, the Ambassador met November 3 with Muasher to obtain a 
readout on the Damascus meeting of foreign ministers on Iraq. 
 Muasher replied that while it was clear that the Syrians did 
not want Zebari to participate in all the proceedings, all 
other countries in attendance supported (though to varying 
degrees) full inclusion of the Iraqi throughout the entire 
event.  Although Zebari's invitation had not been "properly 
handled," Muasher said that Zebari had made a big mistake in 
not attending.  Specifically, Muasher stated that because the 
foreign ministers had taken an "extra step" by postponing the 
start of the meeting to allow Zebari time to arrive, his 
refusal to come "left a bitter taste in some mouths." 
 
3.  (C) When asked what had been the real purpose of 
convening the gathering, Muasher smiled and said it was 
simply a chance for the Syrians to "promote themselves." 
Regarding the meeting's outcome, Muasher offered that "there 
isn't much to say," noting that the ministerial communiqu 
was quite "mild" and that some important subjects, most 
notably the deployment of Turkish and/or Arab troops to Iraq, 
had not even been discussed.  The real benefit of the 
meeting, Muasher concluded, was that it established a firm 
precedent for the inclusion of the Iraqi Foreign Minister in 
all such future events. 
 
4.  (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
 
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