US embassy cable - 04AMMAN8865

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 008865 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2014 
TAGS: PREL, IZ, KPAL, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S NEW FM ON IRAQ, PALESTINIAN REFORM 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 8794 (NOTAL) 
 
     B. AMMAN 8812 (NOTAL) 
     C. CAIRO 7832 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. David Hale, reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d) 
 
1.  (U)  Charge and A/DCM paid an introductory call on 
Hani Al-Mulki, who was named Foreign Minister October 24 
(ref A).  Al-Mulki said he looked forward to continuing the 
close cooperation between the GOJ and USG, and expressed 
appreciation for the Secretary's congratulatory phone call 
October 25. 
 
Iraq neighbors' conference:  Draft communiqu 
 
2.  (C) Al-Mulki said the draft communiqu, recently 
circulated by Egyptian FM Abul Ghaith in advance of the 
November 23 Iraq Neighbors' Conference in Sharm el Sheikh, 
needed to stress "national/national general elections." 
An endorsement of mere "general elections," Mulki feared, 
might be the first step toward international recognition 
of polls that left Sunni Arabs under-represented.  "You 
can have so-called general elections in Kurdish areas and 
in Shia areas and still leave many Sunnis out." 
 
Iraq neighbors' conference:  Non-governmental sphere 
 
3.  (C) Al-Mulki noted that the French and other European 
governments had been pressing for the inclusion of at least 
some Iraqi oppositionists.  Al-Mulki indicated that he had 
reservations about this, and recognized in addition that 
this was not in accord with USG wishes.  He and other Arab 
ministers were hoping to find some middle ground between 
European and American preferences.  His goal, he repeated 
several times, was to accommodate both parties "without 
derailing" the conference or the non-Arab powers' 
contributions to it. 
 
Iraq neighbors' conference:  Security sphere 
 
4.  (C) Al-Mulki also said he was in discussions with 
other Arab governments holding a meeting in Egypt November 
22 of Arab interior and security ministers.  He said 
"the Saudis are not keen on it." But since "the security 
sphere" was the first concern of both the IIG and Iraq's 
neighbors, it needed to be discussed just as much as the 
governmental and political/civil society "spheres." 
 
Task Force on Palestinian Reform 
 
5.  (SBU) Al-Mulki confirmed the GOJ's welcome of plans 
to host a meeting November 9 of the capitals-level Task 
Force on Palestinian Reform (C-TFPR) at one of the 
Jordanian Dead Sea resorts, being organized by the U.S. 
as current chair.  Although Al-Mulki himself would be 
out of country, the MFA would host an Iftar dinner for 
the meeting. 
 
6.  (U)  Septel will report conversation on Article 98. 
 
7.  (SBU)  Al-Mulki, who was serving as Ambassador to 
Egypt at the time of his appointment to the new government, 
plans to return to Cairo October 30 for about a week to 
wrap up his personal affairs.  Ref B provides 
biographical background on Al-Mulki. 
 
8.  (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
HALE