US embassy cable - 04AMMAN3600

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003600 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2014 
TAGS: PREL, KPAL, IS, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: PUBLIC ACCOLADES FOR KING'S WHITE HOUSE MEETING, 
BUT SOME QUESTION PRACTICAL IMPACT ON THE GROUND 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 3484 
     B. AMMAN 3449 
     C. AMMAN 3148 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b)(d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C)  Jordanians lauded King Abdullah for his May 6 
meeting with President Bush, crediting the King with three 
specific achievements: 1) securing written U.S. guarantees to 
protect Jordan's interests; 2) encouraging a much-awaited 
presidential apology for Iraq prison abuse; and 3) 
influencing the U.S. decision to resume contacts with 
Palestinian officials.  The meeting has bolstered the King at 
home in the face of rising anti-U.S. sentiment, as well as 
regionally.  The positive spin was deflated slightly, 
however, by President Bush's public comments two days later 
that he viewed the goal of establishing a Palestinian state 
by 2005 as "unrealistic."  Contacts warn that the positive 
momentum from the King's meeting will be lost without 
concrete follow-up to alter the status quo, and if related 
issues remain stalled.  End Summary. 
 
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MEETING BOLSTERS THE KING AT HOME AND REGIONALLY 
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2.  (U)  Jordanians roundly applauded King Abdullah's May 6 
meeting with President Bush, crediting him with effectively 
advocating the Arab position on Palestine and Iraq and 
helping balance what they perceive as a lopsided U.S. policy 
that favors Israel.  Press and contacts highlight three 
specific accomplishments, chief among them the receipt of 
written U.S. "assurances" seen as akin to those given to PM 
Sharon promising to protect Jordanian national interests in 
any final settlement.  Jordanians also credit the King 
(deservedly or not) for eliciting President Bush's "apology" 
for Iraqi prison abuse, noting that the President had been 
criticized in Jordan for not apologizing during earlier 
well-publicized interviews with al-Arabiyya and al-Hurra (ref 
b).  They also believe the King was key in the U.S. decision 
to restart high-level discussions with Palestinian leaders. 
 
3.  (C)  A Palace official commented to PolCouns on May 9 
that the King's media had gone overboard in spinning the 
positive results of the meeting, adding that he hoped the 
concrete achievements would not be lost in the hyperbole. 
The press has given the meeting top billing (including 
publication and repeated broadcast of the full text of the 
President's letter), and editorials and commentaries were 
effusive, lauding the King's "historic" achievements on 
behalf of all Arabs.  Several contacts noted that the meeting 
bolstered the King's position at home amid rising 
anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment (refs a and c).  In 
this regard, a former information minister writing in 
government-aligned al-Rai newspaper used the occasion to 
defend the U.S.-Jordan relationship, even as Jordanians 
"reject" many U.S. policies in the region, as vital to 
preserving Jordan's interests in a dangerous and 
unpredictable region.  The meeting's results are also seen as 
boosting the King's prestige and credibility in the region at 
a time when Arab leaders are under fire for their clumsy 
efforts to influence U.S. policy, contacts added. 
 
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AL-AHRAM INTERVIEW MITIGATES POSITIVE SPIN 
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4.  (C)  An MFA official termed the meeting as a "partial 
victory," noting the general nature of the letter's language; 
the Jordanians had hoped for more specific guarantees on 
certain sensitive final status issues, including the "right 
of return."  Member of Parliament Raed Qaqish told PolOff 
that he was disappointed that President Bush's letter did not 
include specific language indicating U.S. opposition to the 
"transfer" of Palestinians to Jordan.  Several contacts 
suggested the meeting had challenged the widely-held 
assumption that the U.S. was hopelessly tilted towards 
Israel, but that the positive impact of the Bush-Abdullah 
meeting "lost some of its punch" after the President said in 
an interview with Egyptian daily al-Ahram two days later that 
the goal of establishing a Palestinian state by 2005 was "not 
realistic." 
 
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FOLLOW-ON ACTION A MUST 
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5.  (C)  Several interlocutors calibrated their positive 
reaction by emphasizing that there is a very small window of 
opportunity to move forward, warning that without concrete 
follow-on action, the positive momentum will quickly 
dissipate.  FonMin Muasher, in Cairo for the Arab League 
FonMins meeting, sounded this concern when he told Jordan TV 
on May 8 that no letter of assurances will end the Israeli 
occupation unless there was serious Arab effort building on 
the King's meetings.  Former Prime Minister Taher al-Masri 
commented to PolOff that the meeting's positive results have 
helped the King save face in Jordan (especially since the 
opposition had doubted he would return home with anything to 
show for his efforts), but that he feared the meeting would 
have no practical impact unless the U.S. pushes Sharon to 
alter his policies on the ground. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6.  (C)   The King's Washington trip undoubtedly bolstered 
the King's image at home as an effective advocate on 
Palestinian and Iraqi issues at a time when Arab leaders are 
widely viewed as impotent.  It also helped blunt the 
perception that the U.S. was hopelessly slanted towards 
Israel.  However, the praise may be short-lived if the status 
quo in the region continues or worsens. 
 
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