US embassy cable - 05AMMAN2093

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002093 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, LE, SY, JO 
SUBJECT: MULKI REITERATES CALL FOR SYRIAN WITHDRAWAL; 
JORDANIANS RIVETED BY LEBANON SITUATION 
 
REF: A. STATE 39018 
 
     B. AMMAN 1829 
     C. AMMAN 1651 
     D. AMMAN 1945 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C)  Foreign Minister Mulki reiterated to Charge on March 
13 Jordan's position that Syria must immediately implement 
Security Council 1559 and withdraw completely from Lebanon 
(refs).  Reflecting an interview he gave to Kuwait News 
Agency (KUNA) on March 12, Mulki said that the discussion 
should focus on how the resolution should be carried out, not 
whether it should be carried out.  However, in comments to 
KUNA carried by local papers, Mulki warned that the situation 
has reached a critical phase, and that all parties must 
proceed carefully so as to avoid violence.  He said that the 
"organized, quiet and voluntary pullout of troops" as well as 
Syrian effort to voice a "positive position on Lebanon," 
would enable Syria "to avert any adverse impact."  He also 
called on "the opposition and other parties" to be "more 
rational" and warned them against creating a situation 
similar to the one that set the stage for the outbreak of 
civil war in 1975. 
 
2.  (C)  Reflecting the public's keen interest, local papers 
continue to give unfolding developments in Lebanon and Syria 
front-page coverage since Hariri's assassination.  Political 
analyst and journalist Ureib al-Rintawi commented to poloff 
on March 7 that Syria is "feeling the heat," but warned that 
the current situation is "delicate" and potentially 
dangerous.  According to Rintawi, the fact that Arab 
countries, including Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have 
taken a united position on Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon, 
is an important and positive development, but given Lebanon's 
history, special care must be taken to avoid a backslide into 
violence. 
 
3.  (C)  Rintawi said that his contacts had very recently 
told him that the Syrian government has expelled HAMAS and 
PIJ leaders from Damascus, closed their offices, and cut 
their telephone lines; supposedly HAMAS leader Khalid Mish'al 
has departed for Qatar while Ramadan Shallah has gone to 
Beirut.  Rintawi stated positive momentum in the peace 
process is working against the resistance groups, and their 
sponsors (Syria and Iran) are finding themselves increasingly 
isolated.  He claimed the Jordanians have a role to play in 
exploiting the current situation to drive wedges between 
hard-liners and moderates within HAMAS in particular.  Noting 
that some senior HAMAS leaders hold Jordanian citizenship, he 
believes that Jordan is in a position to encourage 
pragmatists within the organization to move towards the 
political track. 
 
4.  (U)  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