US embassy cable - 05AMMAN1651

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 001651 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, SY, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN RESOLUTE ON SYRIAN COMPLIANCE WITH UNSCR 
1559 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 1340 
 
     B. AMMAN 1308 
     C. AMMAN 1274 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
1.  (U) In a French television interview broadcast February 
23, King Abdullah called on Syria to comply with UN 
resolution 1559.  "What we hope for is that Syria will 
respect the United Nations resolution," he told France 2 
television during an official visit to Paris.  "We think 
Lebanon's future should be placed in the hands of the 
Lebanese."  The King further said that it was "too early" to 
say who was behind the murder of former Lebanese PM Hariri. 
 
2.  (C) After returning to Jordan from Europe, King Abdullah 
told Charge on February 26 that French President Jacques 
Chirac, reflecting a mixture of French state interest and the 
personal loss of a close friend, was very focused on ensuring 
that international pressure on Syria was maintained.  The 
King said he could not agree more. 
 
3.  (C) Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher has told Charge 
that Jordan had been "very blunt" in its message to the 
Syrians that they "get out" of Lebanon, and said he hoped the 
Lebanese opposition's strategy would force Lebanese 
politicians to choose between their short term dependence on 
Syria and their long term interest in associating with the 
populist forces opposing Syria, which he expected would 
prevail.  Foreign Minister Hani al-Mulki has also kept up a 
steady drumbeat of public statements about 1559 compliance. 
The candor of the Jordanian position prompted Egypt's 
ambassador to Amman to complain to Charge that the GOJ was 
being too direct and uncompromising in its communications 
with Damascus on this issue. 
HALE