US embassy cable - 04AMMAN9350

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 009350 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ASEC, KISL, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S ISLAMISTS DEMAND GOJ CUT TIES TO IIG 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 07752 
     B. AMMAN 09278 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (U)  Combat in Fallujah has prompted Jordan's Islamic 
Action Front to step up its public rhetoric against the U.S. 
effort in Iraq, this time calling on the Jordanian government 
to sever its ties to the Iraqi Interim Government.  The GOJ 
publicly expressed concern that the security situation would 
negatively impact the Iraq elections.  Meanwhile, FM Mulki 
said he expected some insurgents might try to flee to Jordan. 
 The IAF's demands will not have an impact on the GOJ's 
support for the Iraqi leadership, but the message resonates 
with ordinary Jordanians incensed by the perceived U.S. 
"assault" on Fallujah.  End Summary. 
 
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IAF DEMANDS JORDAN SEVERE TIES TO IIG 
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2.  (U)  In a letter to the Prime Minister carried in local 
press on November 21, the political arm of Jordan's Muslim 
Brotherhood, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), demanded that 
the GOJ cease all contact with the Iraqi Interim Government 
(IIG). According to IAF Secretary General Hamza Mansour, it 
is incumbent on the GOJ to protest "the U.S. war of 
extermination and destruction in al-Fallujah, which is taking 
place with the blessings of the interim government."  He 
described the IIG "as hostile to the Iraqi people and 
clashing with the feelings of the Jordanian people and the 
Arab and Muslim nation," adding that "maintaining contacts 
with this government means supporting its policy and 
bestowing legitimacy on its crimes." 
 
3.  (U)  The IAF's anti-U.S. rhetoric was particularly 
strong: "The destruction of al-Fallujah by the Bush 
administration is a crime of war and the Nazis were tried and 
executed for perpetrating similar crimes."  In a veiled 
reference to the GOJ, the IAF called on Arab countries "that 
cover up for these crimes" to "realize the seriousness of 
what is taking place." 
 
4.  (U)  The IAF's diatribe is the latest in an increasingly 
virulent string of verbal attacks on U.S. regional policies, 
and increasingly on the Jordanian government, for supporting 
them.  In April, the IAF's Scholars Committee issued a 
"fatwa" demanding followers "oppose" the U.S. administration 
for its "aggression against the Palestinian and Iraqi 
people."  Several months later, the same committee issued a 
fatwa declaring that joining the Iraqi military or police was 
a "sin against God," as was providing food or supplies to 
American forces in Iraq, and called for "jihad" in Iraq (ref 
a).  In October, the IAF again urged Iraqi clerics to lead 
the Iraqi people to rid their "of the filth of the 
occupation" through jihad. 
 
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MILITANTS FLEEING TO JORDAN? 
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5.  (U)  GOJ spokesperson Asma Khader did not comment on the 
IAF statement during her regular press conference, but she 
did express the government's concern about the poor security 
situation and its potential negative impact on elections 
scheduled for January.   Foreign Minister Mulki is attending 
the Sharm al-Sheikh meeting on Iraq, and coming to consensus 
on ways to improve the security situation is a major priority 
for the Jordanians. 
 
6.  (U)  Meanwhile, in response to press remarks by Iraqi 
Foreign Minister Zebari on November 22 that some of the 
insurgents may have escaped the Fallujah operation and found 
refuge in Jordan or Syria, FM Mulki told reporters that he 
was not aware that any had entered Jordan, but expected that 
some would try.  "When you attack a bees' nest, the bees try 
to get everywhere.  Any explosion in Iraq will allow people 
to flee to neighboring countries and this will bring unrest, 
that is why we have a vested interest in making sure that 
things settle down," he said. 
 
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IAF MESSAGE RESONATES WITH JORDANIANS 
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7.  (SBU)  The IAF's letter will not alter the GOJ's support 
for the IIG.  However, the IAF's statements resonate with 
ordinary Jordanians, riveted and angered by images of 
violence from Fallujah in recent weeks.  The recent broadcast 
of video depicting a U.S. solider killing a wounded Iraqi in 
a mosque in particular seems to have struck a nerve, and 
local press commentary on the Fallujah situation has been 
particularly harsh (ref b).  During a lecture on American 
foreign policy and the U.S. election at Muta University in 
the southern Jordanian town of Karak, a student declared to 
PAO: "You have no idea how delighted we are to see American 
soldiers being killed in Iraq, and we are hoping for American 
defeat and expulsion there."  With that, the audience of more 
than 300 students erupted into raucous applause. 
 
8.  (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