US embassy cable - 04AMMAN1738

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001738 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2014 
TAGS: PREL, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WILL FOCUS ON REFORM 
PLAN, PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI ISSUE DURING WASHINGTON VISIT 
 
REF: CAIRO 1704 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires David Hale for Reasons 1.5 (b and d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C)  Jordanian Foreign Minister Muasher on March 8 
provided a visiting delegation with a preview of his agenda 
for his upcoming visit to Washington.  He said he will 
emphasize to U.S. officials that any reform efforts in the 
Middle East must be homegrown, country-specific, and linked 
to solving the Arab-Israeli conflict.  He said Jordan is 
pushing for a general declaration of principles in the Arab 
League that commits Arab states to political reform and 
economic liberalization.  He also intends to present his 
interlocutors in Washington with specifics about Jordan's 
reform agenda, including timetables to achieve certain goals, 
such as legislative reform.  Muasher also will be looking for 
more information about Israel's reported plan to evacuate 
settlements from the Gaza Strip.  End Summary. 
 
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REFORM PLANS TO TAKE CENTER STAGE 
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2.  (C)  Just prior to his departure for the airport to catch 
his flight to Washington, Jordanian Foreign Minister Muasher 
on March 8 told a visiting delegation from the Air War 
College that discussion of reform ideas for the Middle East 
will be a top priority during his meetings with U.S. 
officials.  He said "we are all for reform," noting that 
Jordan has taken significant, concrete steps to further 
domestic political and economic liberalization.  Muasher said 
that during his meetings in Washington, he intends to 
emphasize Jordan's "strong preference" for the initiative to 
come from the region, noting that Jordanian advocates of 
reform are already labeled as "U.S. agents."  He added: "We 
need to give the clear impression (to would-be critics) that 
this is a homegrown initiative." 
 
3.  (C)  In line with this, he said he plans to discuss 
Jordan's support for a draft Arab League declaration of 
principles that will commit Arab countries to moving forward 
on key reform issues, including public and media freedom, 
freedom of expression, women's rights, human rights, 
education reform, economic liberalization, and judicial 
reform.  However, he clarified the declaration of principles 
will be general, not a detailed plan.  He said it is 
unrealistic to expect that Saudi Arabia, for example, could 
achieve the same progress as Jordan in a year's time, given 
the divergent starting points.  If Arab countries can agree 
on this during the upcoming summit in Tunis, Muasher believes 
it will be a positive first step. 
 
4.  (C)  Noting that Jordan had gone much further with its 
reform agenda than most of its neighbors, Muasher said he 
plans to present the details of Jordan's strategy during his 
meetings in Washington, including the identification of key 
laws that require reform and timetables for achieving certain 
goals.  Muasher added that Jordan has worked successfully 
with the EU on political and economic liberalization issues 
since the Barcelona process in 1995, and he is optimistic 
that Jordan also can work collaboratively with the United 
States to advance Jordan's reform goals. 
 
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PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT CANNOT BE IGNORED 
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5.  (C)  Muasher told the delegation that without serious 
efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, any 
reform plan will be flawed.  He said Jordan preferred the 
issues to go hand in hand because any attempt to exclude the 
Palestinian issue "will be faced with very strong resistance" 
in Jordan and the entire region.  He emphasized that regional 
peace must create the atmosphere in which economic and 
political liberalization can flourish.  Without peace, 
Islamic extremists would exploit any liberalization moves to 
their own advantage. 
 
7.  (C)  Muasher stressed that Arab League also must take 
steps to further the peace process.  He said Jordan is 
supporting passage of historic Arab League resolutions 
condemning violence against civilians (including bombings), 
endorsing a cease-fire, and calling for all parties to 
fulfill their roadmap obligations.  He reiterated his belief 
that a strong U.S. role is crucial to the process, and 
waiting for the U.S. election season to conclude would be 
"too late." 
 
8.  (C)  Muasher hopes during his Washington visit to learn 
more about Israel's plan to evacuate its settlements in Gaza. 
 He said Jordan has not taken a strong position on the matter 
so far because there are so many unanswered questions.  For 
example, does Sharon intend to fully evacuate the area, or 
leave troops behind?  Where will the settlers be relocated, 
the West Bank or Israel?  Does this plan complement or 
contradict the roadmap?  Who will take charge of Gaza after 
the evacuation?  Muasher said Jordan is very worried HAMAS 
will fill the power vacuum after an Israeli withdrawal and 
use the situation to argue the "Hizballah model" worked (i.e. 
that Israel only responds to violence).  He said Jordan does 
not look favorably at any development that strengthens HAMAS 
or other militant groups. 
 
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. 
HALE