US embassy cable - 04AMMAN9486

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 009486 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, JO 
SUBJECT: IN JORDAN, CROWN PRINCES COME AND GO 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
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SUMMARY AND COMMENT 
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1.  (C)  In a surprise move, King Abdullah relieved his 
brother Hamza of his duties as Crown Prince on November 28, 
igniting speculation among Jordanians over the King's 
motives.  The King did not name Hamza's replacement.  Until 
he does so, the constitution provides that Abdullah's eldest 
son, ten-year-old Prince Hussein, now assumes the position. 
While many expected the King eventually to replace Hamza, 
many question the timing of the sudden announcement.  Coming 
just months before Hamza graduates and returns to Jordan 
permanently, it appears to be an attempt by the King to 
preempt any drift of popularity to his appealing 
half-brother.  Although it will exacerbate already frosty 
relations with Queen Noor and her offspring (and undoubtedly 
upset many ordinary Jordanians infatuated with Hamza), 
Abdullah's decision signals his growing sense of confidence. 
Others may interpret it as a sign of weakness that he feels 
threatened by Hamza, and the timing has been seen by some as 
premature in light of the venerated father's wish to bridge 
this particular family fault line.  Royal Court Minister 
Rifai told us that there would be no designation of a new 
crown prince, as the King wanted all of his brothers and his 
son to develop independent careers and normal personalities 
without the weight of succession on their shoulders, and to 
avoid the fractiousness that can come with a named 
succession.  End Summary and Comment. 
 
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KING "FREES" CROWN PRINCE FROM HIS DUTIES 
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2.  (U)  On November 28, Jordan's Royal Palace released a 
letter from King Abdullah to Prince Hamzah, relieving Hamza 
of his duties as Crown Prince.  The letter argued with some 
contradiction that Hamza would be ready for other duties by 
being "freed from the constraints" of a position that is 
elsewhere in the letter described as symbolic, without 
authority or responsibility.  The letter states that for five 
years Abdullah adhered to his father's wishes in keeping the 
CP position an "honorary" one, but seems to indicate that 
with this change, the nature of the position will also be 
amended.  "I have been keen on explaining the true picture 
and embodying the substance, which is derived from the 
Constitution, of the position of the crown prince.  This post 
is an honorary one; it does not give the person who assumes 
it any powers and does not make him bear any 
responsibilities." The King adds that given the difficult 
regional situation: "I have decided to relieve you of the 
position of crown price so that you will have greater freedom 
and power to move, act, and undertake any missions or 
responsibilities I assign you." 
 
3.  (C)  The letter does not mention a new Crown Prince by 
name, although the King wrote he would give the vacancy his 
"sincere attention" as guided by the constitution.  The 
Jordanian constitution provides that in the absence of an 
appointed Crown Prince, the responsibility falls to the 
King's eldest son -- in this case, ten-year-old Prince 
Hussein.  Given Hussein's youth, the King is required to 
appoint a regent who would serve, in the event of Abdullah's 
death, until young Hussein's eighteenth birthday.  Despite 
rumors to the contrary,  Royal Court Minister Samir al-Rifai 
told Charge that the King has no intention of naming a Crown 
Prince in the near or medium term future.  The whole point of 
"liberating" Hamza from the role was to enable him to develop 
his own career and more normal relations with a cross section 
of Jordanians, much as Abdullah believes he benefited when 
his father removed him from the succession at the age of 
five.  Similarly, he wants none of his brothers or his son to 
suffer a burden that is symbolic in nature but can sow 
divisions within the family and society.  Nor does he want 
his son to make assumptions about his future and develop the 
laziness that can come from the certainty of succession 
 
4.  (C)  This is not the first time Jordan has seen an abrupt 
change in the formal lines of succession.  The late King 
Hussein, on his death-bed, stripped the title from Hassan and 
passed it to Abdullah.  Abdullah himself lost the rank in the 
1960s when his father first appointed Hassan to the role. 
Part of the deathbed realignment included giving the title to 
Hamza, the eldest son of the then-reigning Queen, Noor.  This 
step was designed to bridge one of the internal Hashemite 
fault lines, between the children of Noor and the others.  It 
also appealed to Hussein, whose special affinity for Hamza 
(whom he called the "apple of my eye") is well known in 
Jordan. 
 
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WHY NOW? 
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5.  (C)  While few expected Hamza to ever rule, the timing 
and motivations of this change have caused intense 
speculation in Amman, and is likely to ignite some criticism 
of the King.  Hamza is set to complete his undergraduate 
studies in the U.S. this academic year, and had planned to 
return to Amman and take up more actively his princely 
duties.  Rifai admitted this was a factor in the King's 
thinking -- that the imminent return made it important to 
clarify Hamza's role.  This may be true, but not for the 
reasons provided by palace spin.  Hamza for many Jordanians 
fits an image of the romantic, storybook prince, and an 
idolized version of his father.  (In government offices, the 
obligatory photos of Hussein and Abdullah are on the walls, 
but we have seen on more than one secretary's desk a more 
personal framed photo of the heart-throb, Hamza.)  His 
mannerisms and speech eerily recall those of his father, and 
his fluent classical Arabic contrasts with Abdullah's more 
colloquial (accent-inflected) style, learned in the barracks. 
 More significantly, Hamza shows signs of being more 
interested than Abdullah in shifting sails to populist winds 
-- undoubtedly a concern for this progressive, Western-minded 
king.  Hamza has absorbed much of his mother's reserved 
attitude toward U.S. foreign policy in the region, and shows 
no enthusiasm for the foreign policy courses adopted by 
Abdullah.  On balance, Abdullah may have concluded it was 
better to make the switch now, before Hamza returned and 
developed -- simply by being Hamza -- a magnet of loyalty 
away from Abdullah.  The rivalry between two Queens -- Rania 
and Hamza's mother, Noor -- may also have contributed to the 
move.  The atmosphere in the palace during Noor's recent 
visit to Jordan, last month, could not have been frostier. 
 
6.  (C)  Many Jordanians are likely to see this step as 
premature, at best.  There is general respect for Abdullah's 
ability to steer Jordan through exceptional challenges since 
Hussein's death.  However, the core of his support arises 
from those with unshakable faith in the acts of his father, 
including that of appointing Abdullah as successor at the 
eleventh hour.  Several contacts see Abdullah's decision -- 
which to them comes out of the blue -- as defying the late 
Hussein's dying wish to bridge family differences, and view 
the announcement as just the latest salvo against Queen Noor, 
who retains a reserve of popular goodwill developed during 
Hussein's last illness.  One activist told poloff that she 
was put off by the way it was handled, noting that the 
wording of the letter was "insincere."  She said the 
responsibilities of the CP are not defined in the 
constitution and open to interpretation, and the King has the 
authority to make it as important as he wants it to be.  One 
human rights activist dismissed the event as a mere sideshow 
to the real challenges facing Jordan -- regionally and 
domestically. 
 
7.  (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