US embassy cable - 04AMMAN10245

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 010245 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ECON, KPAL, IZ, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: KING OPTIMISTIC ON WEST BANK, "MORE NERVOUS" ON 
IRAQ AFTER JANUARY "CROSSROADS" 
 
 
Classified By: CDA DAVID HALE, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) King Abdullah told Senators Joseph Lieberman and Mark 
Dayton that the Palestinians need to see quick results after 
the January 9 election, and that Iraq,s political leadership 
should create an Arab identity for Iraqis to overcome 
religious schisms and interference by Iran.  End summary. 
 
"New Era" on West Bank Needs Housecleaning, Deliverables 
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2. (C) Senator Joseph Lieberman and Senator Mark Dayton met 
King Abdullah in Amman on December 28 to discuss the West 
Bank, Iraq, Iran and Syria.  Foreign Minister Hani Al-Mulki, 
Royal Court Minister Samir Al-Rifai and Media Advisor Seema 
Bahous also attended the meeting.  Senator Lieberman, just 
off the plane from Tel Aviv, opened the meeting by saying he 
sees a "new era" coming on Israeli-Palestinian relations, 
that the Palestinian Authority needs to clean house and 
establish security, and that Israel is prepared to be 
"generous" if the situation develops well.  The King noted 
Palestinian Authority front-runner Abu Mazen,s long-standing 
opposition to the intifada and said that Abu Mazen would work 
to resolve the security situation after his election.  He 
said that a brigade of 1,500 of the 2,000 security officers 
trained by Jordan in the 1990s could be put on the ground in 
a matter of weeks to help establish security. 
 
3. (C) Foreign Minister Al-Mulki promoted bringing forward 
the London conference to a January date in order to show 
international support for the Palestinians as soon as 
possible.  Senator Lieberman said there were a lot of hopes 
and expectations about the post-January 9 period; he 
appreciated that Jordan and others could play a role in 
providing deliverables.  The King called attention to the 
need for financial support for the Palestinian Authority, 
which may not be able to meet payroll after January 2005. 
 
4. (C) The King said Abu Mazen needs to win the election and 
then win "the street" by providing tangible results for 
Palestinians.  If the people have hope, they will stop the 
bombers, the King said.  Does Abu Mazen have the confidence 
of the people, Senator Lieberman asked?  The Jordanians 
reflected some doubt on that score, and emphasized that Abu 
Mazen needed to show some concrete results before his 
authority would be consolidated. 
 
Iran Seeking An Iraq "Beholden" to Tehran 
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5. (C) On Iraq, the King returned to his preoccupation with 
Iranian meddling.  Iran, he said, wants the new Iraqi 
government to be "beholden to Tehran."  He had "no idea" what 
2005 would bring, especially if the elections do not go well. 
 He called for speeding up reconstruction of the Iraqi army 
and the reversing of the negative consequences of 
"de-Baathification."  The King said that the way to "go 
after" Iran is through a stable Iraq; conversely, that the 
way for Iran to "go after" the United States is through an 
unstable Iraq.  Mulki said that the only way to have a strong 
Iraq is to have an Arabic Iraq, not an Islamic Iraq.  Senator 
Lieberman noted the long history of tension between Iran and 
Iraq, which the King recast as "centuries" of Persian-Arab 
tension, which in this situation could be a useful tool for 
creating Arab solidarity in and around Iraq, and a united 
front against Iranian meddling. 
 
Syrian "Old Guard" Blocking Change 
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6. (C) On Syria, the King said that Syria has made "every 
conceivable mistake" since 2000.  President Bush had asked 
him to convey a message to Bashar al-Asad that could not be 
more blunt:  "get your act together or face the 
consequences." (The King added that last week,s Amman 
meeting with Asad was postponed until January because of the 
birth of Bashar,s child.)  The King was pessimistic of the 
prospects for change in Damascus, as the Allawi mafia would 
lose its grip on money and power, including in Lebanon, if 
reforms proceeded.  Foreign Minister Al-Mulki said the 
Syrians believe Iraq,s instability insulated them from 
pressure; when Iraq stabilized, the international community 
could "talk sense" to Syria.  Al-Mulki closed by saying the 
United States and Jordan need to concentrate on 
"disentangling" Syria and Iran from Iraq. 
 
What Does Jordan Need?  Full Stomachs 
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7. (C) When asked about Jordan,s needs, the King spoke in 
now-familiar terms of his strategic relationship with the 
U.S. and his intention to continue to take risks in the 
pursuit of our common policies in the region, in stabilizing 
Iraq, assisting in the peace process, and fighting terrorism. 
 However, the region would be in turmoil for some time, and 
he needed the political insulation that came with additional 
assistance.  Unpopular policies are more palatable to the 
people on a "full stomach."  He reviewed specifically 
Jordan,s needs for enhanced border security measures, some 
of which were costly. 
HALE