US embassy cable - 04AMMAN1451

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001451 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, KISL, KPAL, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN ISLAMIC ACTION FRONT KEEPS "MODERATE" 
LEADERSHIP 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 00304 
     B. 03 AMMAN 07909 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for Reasons 1.5 (b), (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (U) The Shura Council of the Jordanian Islamic Action 
Front (IAF), the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, on 
February 21 reelected current Secretary General Hamzeh 
Mansour for another two-year tenure.  In the IAF's 12-member 
Executive Committee, the Council replaced only four members 
with "moderates" securing all but one of its seats.  The 
Shura Council issued a statement opposing proposed price 
increases, calling for increased public freedoms, and 
rejecting changes to Jordan's educational curricula promoting 
human rights.  End summary. 
 
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VOTING FOR THE STATUS QUO 
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2.  (U)  On February 21, the IAF "Shura Council" (the 
organization's highest policy making body) elected the IAF's 
Secretary General and its Executive Committee.  After a 
 
SIPDIS 
several hour voting session, the 96 members present from the 
120-member Council selected current Secretary General Hamzeh 
Mansour for another two year term.  Mansour is a former 
executive bureau member of the Muslim Brotherhood and a 
veteran politician.  He is the third person to serve two 
consecutive terms as Secretary General (the maximum allowed 
by IAF by-laws) after current Shura Council leader Abdul 
Latif Arabiyat and Ishaq Farhan.  The Council also selected 
four new individuals for the 12-member Executive Committee 
(which also has a two year term), while reelecting eight 
current committee members. 
 
3.  (C) According to press reports and observers, "moderate" 
IAF members secured all but one seat in the Executive 
Committee.  This reflects the outcome of the 2002 elections 
for the IAF Shura Council, wherein self-described moderates 
won a decisive victory while conservatives managed to garner 
only 14 seats in the four-year-term council.  The moderate 
leadership paved the way for the organization's participation 
in the June 2003 parliamentary elections following a 
years-long boycott and subsequent strained ties with the 
government.  The IAF is easily the most influential political 
grouping out of 30 registered political parties in Jordan and 
the only one to have members elected to Parliament.  Although 
the IAF is tight-lipped about the number of its members, 
independent sources put it at roughly 4,000. 
 
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FAMILIAR STRAINS 
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4.  (U) In his opening remarks, Arabiyat warned that Jordan 
was currently passing through a "dangerous stage," being 
sandwiched between the Israeli occupation of Palestinian 
territory and the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and expressed 
support for those fighting against these occupying forces. 
The Shura Council later issued a statement denouncing 
corruption and flatly rejecting proposed hikes in the prices 
of basic commodities and oil derivatives.  It further 
demanded greater public freedoms and enhanced democratic 
measures.  The Shura Council statement also called on the 
government to halt changes planned for the country's school 
curricula to include new human rights concepts (see ref a). 
The IAF warned that these changes, which "aim to please 
U.S.-Zionist demands," would harm the country's cultural 
identity. 
 
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COMMENT 
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5.  (C) The results of the IAF internal elections indicate 
that the organization most likely is not planning major 
changes in direction or strategy in the near future.  It also 
demonstrates the continued weakness of hard-liners within the 
IAF who reject any accommodation with the government.  The 
reelection of Mansour as Secretary General is not surprising 
as he is a popular figure on the grassroots level and is 
known as a wily tactician who is able to build consensus 
among the party's ranks.  Although not currently a member of 
Parliament, he nevertheless plays a major role in directing 
IAF positions in the Lower House, as evidenced by his 
participation in IAF negotiations with other blocs to choose 
the Lower House Speaker (see ref b). 
 
Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ or through the 
Department of State's SIPRNET site. 
GNEHM