US embassy cable - 04AMMAN6575

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006575 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KPAL, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN TO HOST SECOND MEETING WITH GENEVA ACCORD 
SUPPORTERS 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 6545 
 
     B. 03 AMMAN 8122 
     C. 03 AMMAN 7232 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C)  Summary:  Palestinian and Israeli supporters of the 
Geneva Accord will convene in Jordan August 5-6 in the hopes 
of gaining momentum for their unofficial peace initiative. 
Foreign Minister Muasher will speak at the opening of the 
meeting, and Jordanian officials say they hope the effort 
will help revive the stalled peace process.  Especially 
important to the GOJ, according to MFA officials, is ensuring 
that Jordan's interests are not sidelined, particularly on 
the right of return.  Commenting on the controversy 
surrounding the King's remarks to al-Arabiya about the 
Palestinian leadership, an MFA official noted that the King's 
message is consistent with longstanding views often expressed 
in private to U.S. and other officials.  The GOJ feels that 
now is the time to address these important concerns publicly, 
particularly at this critical stage in the conflict.  End 
Summary. 
 
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GENEVA ACCORD SUPPORTERS TO CONVENE AT THE DEAD SEA 
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2.  (C)  Jordan will host a weekend retreat at the Dead Sea 
beginning August 5 with notable Israeli and Palestinian 
supporters of the Geneva Accord.  Foreign Minister Muasher 
will address the gathering at the outset, according to MFA 
official Ashraf Zeitoon.  The schedule will be structured 
similarly to the event the GOJ hosted in October 2003 to 
unofficially unveil the Accord (ref C), and MFA officials may 
moderate some of the panel discussions.  Zeitoon said the 
effort is designed to help breathe new life in the stymied 
peace process and build momentum that can be carried back to 
the participants' respective communities.  He added that 
Yossi Beilin will attend the meeting in addition to a 
wide-cross section of Palestinian principals and grassroots 
supporters. 
 
3.  (C)  Zeitoon explained the GOJ agreed to host the meeting 
because Jordan has an important role to play in the peace 
process and is committed to exerting all efforts to revive 
it.  Referring to the numerous public statements by GOJ 
officials about the festering Palestinian-Israeli crisis this 
week, including the King's al-Arabiya interview (ref A) and 
FonMin Muasher's interview with Haartez (during which he 
emphasized Israel's security barrier endangered Jordan's 
national security), Zeitoon noted that Jordan wants to drive 
home the message that significant attention must be given to 
the situation, adding that the Palestinian-Israeli crisis is 
at a critical stage.  He emphasized that Jordanian is 
directly and intimately affected by developments in the 
Palestinian arena, and the GOJ refuses to allow Jordan's 
interests to be sidelined, particularly when it comes to 
determining the final status of Palestinian refugees.  The 
Palestinians have "hijacked" the refugee issue for too long, 
he added. 
 
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MFA: KING'S MESSAGE REFLECTS LONG-HELD VIEWS 
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4.  (C)  Regarding the controversy surrounding the King's 
al-Arabiya's interview, Zeitoon said that he and other 
colleagues at the MFA were taken aback by the initial press 
reports because they had spent considerable time writing the 
talking points for the interview.  Upon reviewing the full 
transcript of the King's comments, he said: "I was relieved 
to find it was the press that was confused, and it wasn't our 
talking points that were the problem!"  He added: "This is 
not a new message, it is something we have been saying in 
private for months -- to you, to the UN, to the EU countries. 
 It is time we took the message public; it is important and 
it needs to be said." 
 
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COMMENT 
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5.  (C)  Jordan's anti-normalizers -- including the 
Professional Associations and the Muslim Brotherhood -- 
geared up in December 2003 to protest the Geneva Accord when 
it was officially unveiled in Switzerland, mainly because 
they believed it intended to compromise the Palestinians' 
right of return (ref B).  At that time, the GOJ finally broke 
its silence and publicly voiced support for the initiative. 
Given the current political climate in Jordan, we expect the 
opposition to pick up where they left off last year. 
 
Visit Embassy Amman's classified website at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ 
or access the site through the State Department's SIPRNET 
home page. 
HALE