US embassy cable - 04AMMAN3209

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 003209 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/26/2014 
TAGS: PREL, ECON, US, IS, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: GOJ REITERATES IMPORTANCE OF U.S. TIES IN WAKE OF 
POSTPONEMENT OF KING'S WASHINGTON VISIT 
 
REF: AMMAN 3148 
 
Classified By: Amb. Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b) (d) 
 
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PROTECTING U.S.-JORDAN RELATIONS 
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1.  (C)  In a meeting with the Ambassador and PolCouns April 
25, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher said that King Abdullah 
wants to make sure the USG knows that he wants to visit 
Washington, and that the postponement of his April 21 meeting 
with the President was not in any way meant to damage 
U.S.-Jordan relations.  Muasher said he had received 
"numerous" phone calls from prominent Jordanians -- many from 
the business community, and many not normally pro-American -- 
reminding him of the importance of maintaining good bilateral 
ties.  Muasher said both he and the King understand and 
appreciate this point very well, and that Deputy Prime 
Minister Mohammed Halaiqa's April 22 press statement (see 
below) was meant to address the concerns of those who fear 
slippage of bilateral ties.  GID Director Saad Kheir made 
this same point in a separate meeting with the Ambassador on 
April 25, and he and Muasher also mentioned that the GOJ was 
making extraordinary efforts to keep negative press 
commentary on the U.S. to a minimum.  (Comment:  While 
editorial comment may have been tempered somewhat, the press 
continued to portray the U.S. as being in lockstep with 
Sharon and pursuing oppressive military action in Iraq.  End 
Comment.) 
 
2.  (C)  In fact, since the postponement of the King's 
Washington stop, senior Jordanian government officials have 
emphasized in public the importance of U.S.-Jordanian ties. 
For example, Muasher in his press walk-out with the Secretary 
in Washington April 20 said that "Jordan has no problems with 
the U.S. and we continue to work with it very closely."  As 
Muasher mentioned to the Ambassador, Deputy PM Halaiqa told 
the press in Amman April 22 that "the U.S. and Jordan enjoy 
solid relations politically, economically, militarily, and in 
the realm of counterterrorism."  Halaiqa's statement also 
emphasized the importance of U.S.-Jordan economic ties, 
proposed a June date for the bilateral Joint Commission 
meeting, and repeated earlier pronouncements that the 
postponement of the King's Washington visit will not affect 
bilateral relations.  (Interestingly, this statement was 
carried prominently in the Arabic press, but not in the 
English press). 
 
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COMMENT 
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3.  (C)  As we noted in reftel, the postponement of the 
King's Washington visit and statements from GOJ officials on 
the need for "clarification" of the U.S. position calmed the 
local popular and media reaction to the Bush-Sharon exchange 
on Gaza disengagement and the Israeli killing of HAMAS leader 
Rantissi.  The more recent positive statements about 
U.S.-Jordan relations are intended to protect Jordan's other 
flank and reassure those in the Jordanian government and 
elite who want to see the continuation of strong bilateral 
ties. 
 
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