US embassy cable - 04AMMAN8812

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 008812 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2014 
TAGS: PINR, PGOV, KDEM, JO 
SUBJECT: BIOS FOR JORDAN'S NEW CABINET MEMBERS 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 8794 
 
     B. AMMAN 8628 
     C. AMMAN 8600 
     D. AMMAN 7862 
     E. AMMAN 7336 
     F. AMMAN JO 7188 
     G. 03 AMMAN 7068 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (U) King Abdullah swore in ten new ministers October 24 
and accepted the resignation of three (ref A). The expanded 
cabinet raised the number of ministers from 21 to 28 by 
separating ministerial portfolios combined when PM Fayez's 
first cabinet was formed in October 2003 and by creating two 
new ministries. The number of women ministers has increased 
from three to four. Nine out of the ten new ministers are 
East Bankers, making a total East Bank/West Bank ratio of 22 
to 6. There are three Christians and 12 U.S. educated 
ministers in the new cabinet. The average age of all the 
ministers is 49. Bios for ministers that remained in the 
cabinet were provided in October 2003 (ref G). End Summary. 
 
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BIOS FOR NEW MINISTERS 
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2. (U)  New members of the cabinet are: 
 
A. (U)  Minister of Foreign Affairs Hani al-Mulki: 
 
A Muslim, East Banker whose family's roots are in Syria, Hani 
al-Mulki was born in Amman in 1951. He is the son of the late 
Fawzi al-Mulki, who was Jordanian Prime Minister in 1953 and 
held several other cabinet positions in different 
governments. Al-Mulki received a Bachelor of Arts in 
Production Engineering from the University of Cairo in 1974. 
He also studied at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New 
York, from which he received a Master of Science in 
Management Engineering in 1977 and a Ph.D. in Industrial and 
Systems Engineering in 1979. Al-Mulki worked as a field 
engineer at the Ministry of Public Works from 1974-75, and as 
a researcher at the Royal Scientific Society (RSS) from 
1975-1979. He served as Assistant Dean of the Engineering 
Department at Yarmouk University from 1980-81 before heading 
the RSS Solar Energy Department from 1981-1987. He then 
served as Executive Director of the Islamic Academy for 
Science from 1987-1989 and RSS President from 1989 until 
1997. Al-Mulki was Secretary General of the Higher Council 
for Science and Technology from 1993-1997. He was appointed 
Minister of Trade, Industry, and Supply in PM Majali's 
cabinet in 1997, and Minister of Water and Irrigation & 
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources in PM Tarawneh's 
cabinet in August 1998. He was also an advisor to former 
Crown Prince El Hassan Bin Talal. Al-Mulki became Ambassador 
to Cairo and to the Arab League in 2001. He is married to an 
American citizen and has two sons. 
 
B. (U) Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Nayef Hadid 
 
A Muslim, East Banker, Hadid was born in Amman in 1939. He 
graduated from the Cairo University faculty of law in 1965 
and was appointed as a diplomatic attach in the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs in 1967. Hadid served in Jordan's diplomatic 
missions in Cairo, London, Rome, Washington, Brussels, 
Damascus and Muscat. He was Foreign Ministry secretary 
general from 1993 to 1995. Hadid served as Jordan's 
ambassador to Morocco for three years and then Tunisia for 
four years until July 2004. He is married, with two daughters 
and one son. 
 
C. (U) Minister of Industry and Trade Ahmad Hindawi 
 
A Muslim, East Banker, Hindawi was born in Cairo in 1966. He 
holds a PhD in Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering from 
the University of Birmingham, UK, a Masters in industrial 
engineering and industrial management from the University of 
Jordan and a BA in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering 
from Purdue University, Indiana. He has been director general 
of the Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology since 
2001. Prior to that, he served at the Ministry of Industry 
and Trade as assistant secretary general (for one year) and 
director of industrial development (for four years). Hindawi 
is on the boards of directors of the Jordanian National 
Commission for Industrialization, the Jordan Export Promotion 
Corporation, the Natural Resources Authority, the Investment 
Promotion Committee, and the Jordan Businessmen's Society. He 
is from a politically prominent and active family; his father 
was a leading, moderate voice in parliament in the early 
1990s and became deputy prime minister. 
 
D. (C) Minister of State for Legal Affairs Fahed Abul Atham 
Ensour 
 
A Muslim, East Banker, Ensour was born in Salt and attended 
the Salt Secondary School, graduating in 1952. He completed 
his higher education at the Syrian University, Damascus, 
earning a law degree in 1958. Ensour served as attorney 
general and a judge in several courts. He was president of 
the Higher Court of Justice Committee. Between 1972 and 1974, 
he served as director general of the Press and Publications 
Department, and from 1974 to 1978 he worked as a legal 
adviser at the Cabinet. He also lectured at Muta University, 
and participated in several local and international 
conferences on international law and human rights. He has 
published several books and working papers on legal issues. 
Ensour has long been a good contact for post on human rights 
and legal issues. He operates his own private law office in 
Amman. 
 
E. (U) Minister of Transport Saud Nsairat 
 
A Muslim, East Banker, Nsairat was born in 1950 in Natfeh in 
Irbid Governorate. Following high school graduation, he 
joined the Air Force and was trained as a pilot. While 
serving in the army, he earned a Masters degree in military 
affairs management. From 1992 to 1994, he served as Jordan's 
military attach to Paris. A career officer, Nsairat became 
Air Force commander in the Jordan Armed Forces in 1999, 
serving in that position until 2002 when he was promoted to 
vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He retired on 
October 1, 2004 (ref F). He is married and has two sons and 
one daughter. 
 
F. (C) Minister of Political Development Munther Shara 
 
A Muslim, East Banker, Shara was born in Husun in Irbid 
Governorate in 1950. He graduated with a BA in economics and 
political science in 1972 from the Beirut Arab University. He 
obtained his Masters and PhD in economics and political 
science from The University of Wales in the UK. Shara 
lectured at Yarmouk University for 25 years and was appointed 
founder-dean of the economics faculty in the Hashemite 
University. Shara also served as a consultant for ESCWA, 
chairman of the accreditation board at the Ministry of Higher 
Education, and chairman of board of the Arab Society for 
Economic Research. He has written and published books and 
articles on economy. Shara is married with two children. 
 
G. (U) Minister of Environment Yousef Shureiqi 
 
A Muslim, East Banker, Shureiqi was born in 1948 in Amman. He 
obtained his BA in 1972 from Alexandria University, 
specializing in agricultural sciences. In 1980, he received 
his MA from the American University of Beirut and a PhD in 
toxicology from Bonn University in Germany in 1987. Shureiqi 
held various posts at the Ministry of Agriculture commencing 
in 1972 as a researcher and then as head of the toxins 
department. From 1993 to 2001, Shureiqi was seconded to the 
Omani government to serve as an expert and head of the 
pesticides department. Upon returning to Jordan, he was 
appointed as chancellor at the prime ministry. In 2003, 
Shureiqi was appointed secretary general of the Ministry of 
Environment, a post he held until he was sworn in as 
environment minister. 
 
H. (C) Minister of Information and Communications Technology 
Nadia Saeed 
 
Saeed's family is of Palestinian, West Bank origin. She has a 
Bachelor's degree in economy and business from the University 
of Jordan and a Master's degree from the American University 
in Cairo. She worked in the public sector for 10 years, 
mainly in the banking and technology fields before she was 
hired by the Ministry of Information and Communications 
Technology on a special contract as senior advisor to the 
Minister. Saeed served as acting secretary general since 
early 2003, and became secretary general when PM Fayez's 
government was formed in October 2003. She has worked well 
with USAID as secretary general and has a good grasp of the 
issues. 
 
I. (U) Minister of Public Sector Reform Ahmad Masaadeh 
 
A Muslim, East Banker, Masaadeh was born in 1969 in Amman. 
His father was the Minister of Justice in PM Rawabdeh's 
cabinet in 2000. Masaadeh is a practicing lawyer who holds an 
LL.B. degree from the University of Jordan, an LL.M. from the 
University of Virginia, and a PhD degree in international 
trade and foreign investment law from the University of 
London. He has been actively engaged in business and 
corporate law with a focus on international trade and foreign 
investment, restructuring, privatization and administrative 
reform. Since 1995, Masaadeh has been a key player in the 
regulatory reforms of the judicial system. He has served as 
assistant professor of international business law at the 
University of Jordan since 2000. Masaadeh is married with 
three daughters. 
 
J. (U) Minister of Agriculture Sharary Shakhanbeh 
 
A Muslim, East Banker, Shakhanbeh was born in Madaba in 1943. 
He received his Bachelors degree in law from Beirut Arab 
University in 1984. He started his career at the Agriculture 
Ministry, then moved to Jordan Television where he was deputy 
director of the development media department for 10 years. 
Shakhanbeh was the head of the Jordanian Society for the 
Production and Marketing of Eggs for two years, and head of 
the investment promotion unit at the Industrial Estate 
Corporation for seven years. He became the legal consultant 
of the Jordanian Cooperative Corporation before being elected 
as head of the Jordan Farmers Union for two terms. Shakhanbeh 
is married with five children. Shakhanbeh was secretary 
general of the Ministry of Agriculture upon his appointment. 
 
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THE COMPLETE CABINET 
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3. (U) The complete cabinet list follows: 
 
Faisal Fayez: Prime Minister and Minister of Defense 
 
Marwan Muasher: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State 
for Prime Ministry Affairs and Government Performance 
 
Hani Mulki: Minister of Foreign Affairs 
 
Bassem Awadallah: Minister of Planning and International 
Cooperation 
 
Salah Bashir: Minister of Justice 
 
Samir Habashneh: Minister of Interior 
 
Khalid Touqan: Minister of Education 
 
Ahmad Hilayel: Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs 
 
Hazem Nasser: Minister of Water and Irrigation 
 
Mohammad Abu Hammour: Minister of Finance 
 
Amjad Majali: Minister of Labor 
 
Alia Hattough-Bouran: Minister of Tourism and Antiquities 
 
Azmi Khreisat: Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources 
 
Riyad Abu Karaki: Minister of Social Development 
 
Raed Abu Saud: Minister of Public Works and Housing 
 
Issam Zabalawi: Minister of Higher Education and Scientific 
Research 
 
Amal Farhan: Minister of Municipal Affairs 
 
Asma Khader: Minister of Culture and Government Spokesperson 
 
Saeed Darwazeh: Minister of Health 
 
Nayef Hadid: Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs 
 
Ahmad Hindawi: Minister of Industry and Trade 
 
Yousef Shureiqi: Minister of Environment 
 
Nadia Saeed: Minister of Telecommunications and Information 
Technology 
 
Fahd Abul Athem Ensour: Minister of State for Legal Affairs 
 
Soud Nsairat: Minister of Transport 
 
Munther Shara: Minister of Political Development 
 
Ahmad Masaadeh: Minister of State for Public Reforms 
 
Sharari Shakhanbeh: Minister of Agriculture 
 
4. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
 
Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at 
http://www.state.sgov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through 
the Department of State's SIPRNET home page. 
HALE