US embassy cable - 04AMMAN5876

S E C R E T AMMAN 005876 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/13/2014 
TAGS: PREL, MASS, MARR, JO, IZ 
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH JORDAN'S KING 
ABDULLAH 
 
Classified By: CDA DAVID HALE FOR REASONS 1.5 (b) (d) 
 
1. (C) Summary.  King Abdullah stressed to the Deputy 
Secretary his commitment to helping U.S. policy 
 
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succeed in Iraq, described his offers of assistance 
to the IIG, and expressed concern about Iranian 
infiltration there.  He emphasized concerns about 
instability in Saudi Arabia and the risk of 
spillover to Jordan and other neighboring states 
and described his need for additional assistance 
to improve border controls.  End Summary. 
 
2. (C) Deputy Secretary Armitage met King Abdullah on 
July 12 for a half hour meeting.  Royal Court Minister 
Rifai, Acting Foreign Minister al-Majali, and Charge 
joined them.  The King stressed his intent to maintain 
his support for U.S. policy in Iraq; "your success is 
our success" there, he said.  He was impressed by IIG 
Prime Minister Allawi, and said the right political 
dynamic had begun.  However, the challenges posed by 
instability and insecurity in Iraq were acute, and 
aggravated by Iranian infiltration.  At Iraqi request, 
Jordan would be providing 180 military vehicles 
(subject to third party transfer approval), in some 
cases stripped out of the royal guards' stock.  In 
addition, the Iraqis would need driver training and 
maintenance support.  The Jordanians had also offered 
to train Iraqi border and customs officials at Trebil, 
as they had identified serious deficiencies there. 
 
3. (S) King Abdullah expressed his concern over Syrian 
infiltration of weapons and explosives to Jordan. 
Some shipments (60-70%) were destined for the West 
Bank, others were being stored in Jordan to ship 
there later or for undetermined use.  Jordan was 
witnessing a higher caliber of material, which was 
a source of concern.  The King also saw a link 
between Syrian Military Intelligence and 
al-Qaeda/Zarqawi. 
 
4. (S/NF) The King saw a serious threat of instability in 
Saudi Arabia, the dimensions of which the leadership there 
was only beginning to understand.  The security services 
were deeply penetrated by al-Qaeda.  Abdullah worried 
about the flow of extremists into Jordan, noting that 
two Saudis and a Yemeni were recently arrested in Jordan 
and found to have been interested in potentially 
targeting the Iraq police training facility here. 
Other states bordering Saudi Arabia would face similar 
dangers, but for the most part did not seem to take the 
threat seriously.  Abdullah said in particular he had 
sent a message to King Hamad to try to stiffen 
anti-terrorism action in Bahrain.  In connection with 
Jordan's border security concerns, King Abdullah briefed 
the Deputy Secretary on his request for an additional 
USD 400 million in supplemental military assistance. 
Jordan needed more sophisticated equipment so it could 
rely less on manpower and more on technology to control 
the Saudi border. 
 
5.  (C) In response to a point made by the Deputy 
Secretary, the King expressed readiness to secure 
 
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parliamentary ratification of the U.S.-Jordan 
extradition treaty.  He judged October to be the 
best time to do so, to avoid having the treaty 
become a point of contention in the upcoming 
race for Speaker. 
 
6.  (C) At the King's request, the Deputy Secretary 
received a briefing from GID Chief Saad Khayr, 
which elaborated on security developments in 
Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. 
 
7. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
HALE