US embassy cable - 04AMMAN6435

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006435 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, JO 
SUBJECT: PALACE BRINGS EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF PARLIAMENT 
TO AN END 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 06160 
     B. AMMAN 04953 
     C. AMMAN 03348 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires David Hale for Reasons 1.5 (b),(d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) Just as MPs were being criticized for not getting 
their work done, the Palace surprised them with a snap 
adjournment of their summer extraordinary session.  With most 
decision makers traveling with the King, there has been 
little clarity on the strategy behind the adjournment.  A 
second extraordinary session limited to economic items will 
likely be convened later this summer, though it should not 
exceed two weeks in duration.  There is speculation that the 
upcoming regular session may not be held until after Ramadan 
revelry and perhaps not until December 1 (the maximum delay 
allowed by the constitution).  End Summary. 
 
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THAT'S A WRAP! 
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2.  (C) The palace issued a royal decree July 20 directing 
Parliament, which had convened in an extraordinary session on 
June 5 (see refs b, c), to adjourn as of that date. 
According to Sufian Al-Hassan, Director of Research and 
Information for the Parliament, this step was taken even 
though MPs had voted on only 23 of the 64 laws specified in 
King Abdullah's decree convening the session.  The Secretary 
General of the Lower House of Parliament, Faiz Al-Shawabkeh, 
told PolOff that he was surprised by the decision as he had 
expected the session to last until August.  Many Lower House 
MPs were likewise caught off guard with a few complaining to 
PolOff that they should have been given more time to reduce 
the considerable backlog of provisional laws waiting for 
parliamentary action.  "They criticize us for not making 
enough progress in passing laws," said MP Mohammad 
Al-Shawabkeh (East Banker, Madaba), "and then they go ahead 
and do this." 
 
3.  (C) One major factor in the adjournment decision is the 
likelihood of convening a second extraordinary session later 
this summer.  Shawabkeh and Hassan told PolOff July 28 that 
the GOJ is anxious for Parliament to approve "important 
economic legislation" related to investment that was not 
listed in the decree authorizing the first extraordinary 
session and therefore could not be added to the agenda.  Both 
men said that a ministerial meeting was planned on or about 
July 31 to select the laws for the agenda and that a second 
summer session would not exceed two weeks in duration. 
 
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GIVING IN TO REALITY 
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4.  (C) According to the Jordanian constitution, Parliament 
must convene for regular sessions in the fall on October 1. 
This date can be postponed for a maximum of two months (i.e., 
until December 1).  Recently the Jordanian press has 
speculated that this fall's regular session will be delayed 
until after Ramadan concludes on or about November 15. 
Shawabkeh agreed with press reports that a postponement was 
"very possible" and said that November 20 was a date he had 
heard tossed around by Jordanian officials.  Hassan confided 
to PolOff that a delay was being considered because MPs were 
"worthless" during Ramadan, being too tired, hungry and 
irritable (from not smoking) during the day, and too 
"stuffed" from overeating in the evenings.  He mentioned 
November 27 or later as a possible start date for the regular 
session as MPs "need at least a week to recover from the Eid 
holiday ending Ramadan." 
 
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COMMENT 
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5.  (C) The 23 laws debated by Parliament during the 
abbreviated extraordinary session fell far short of the 64 
laws on the agenda, but compare favorably with the 
approximately 40 laws that Parliament took action on during 
its most recent (and considerably longer) regular session. 
Much of the legislation was administrative or 
business-related in nature and approved with little 
controversy, with the notable exception of a new human rights 
law (ref b) and the rejected personal status law (ref a), 
which represented the government's only real defeat.  MPs 
will have to be more focused, and avoid a penchant for 
grandstanding and long-winded statements, if they are serious 
about eliminating the remaining backlog of almost 150 
provisional laws.  On the GOJ's part, its agenda for the 
session was overly ambitious from the start.  Ali Hindawi, 
Director of the Parliament Unit at the Prime Ministry, told 
PolOff in June that he didn't expect MPs to address more than 
30 laws, while Hassan complained that the GOJ had not even 
provided Parliament with the written text of all 64 laws on 
the agenda. 
HALE