US embassy cable - 05AMMAN2592

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002592 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, OREP, IZ, IS, SY, JO 
SUBJECT: KING EMPHASIZES POLITICAL REFORM WITH CODEL DREIER 
 
REF: AMMAN 2378 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
1. (C) In a March 27 meeting with Codel Dreier, King Abdullah 
described the importance of comprehensive social, economic 
and political reform in Jordan. The King reiterated his 
support of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a partner 
for peace. The King stated that he did not believe Syria 
would pull out of Lebanon completely and he confirmed that 
Jordan backs all efforts to restore Iraq's stability. Prince 
Faisal explained that the recent FMF supplemental request 
will boost border security. End Summary. 
 
-------------------- 
Comprehensive Reform 
-------------------- 
 
2. (C) In a March 27 meeting with Codel Dreier, King Abdullah 
described his recent visit to the United States as 
"excellent." The King stated that he had returned to Jordan 
aware that the government was in danger of complacency on 
reform, particularly on democratization. He said that the GOJ 
had received a wake-up call to move forward with 
comprehensive reform that focused on political as well as 
social and economic modernization. DPM Marwan Muasher and 
Prince Faisal echoed this line in earlier meetings with Codel 
Dreier. Muasher and Faisal both said Jordan had excelled in 
economic reforms, but needed to re-focus on political 
development in advance of 2007 parliamentary elections. 
Congressman David Dreier remarked that while the United 
States tends to think it has the monopoly on democracy, it 
continues to learn how best to implement democratic 
principles. Muasher joined the King in the meeting with Codel 
Dreier as did Royal Court Minister Samir Rifai. 
 
3. (C) Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart thanked the King for 
Jordan's steadfast support and complemented him on his reform 
efforts. Diaz-Balart emphasized that the United States firmly 
believed that strong political parties and an empowered 
parliament were key to democratization and stability. He 
hoped the King's reform program would focus on these two 
issues. The King responded that Jordan needs to maintain its 
momentum on reform and explained how the National Agenda 
Committee (reftel) grew from the G-8 conference at Sea 
Island. Muasher said the committee would publish its 10-year 
reform plan in September 2005. He claimed it would differ 
from previous plans because it will contain performance 
standards, performance indicators, and a specific timeline. 
Muasher said the Prime Ministry would monitor the 
implementation of the reform agenda and publish its findings 
on a regular basis. Future governments would "be bound" by 
the agenda. 
 
------------------------ 
Abbas: Partner for Peace 
------------------------ 
 
4. (C) Congressman Doc Hastings expressed his gratitude for 
the King's leadership in the region and asked for his views 
on the Middle East Peace Process. The King reiterated his 
support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and called 
Abbas a partner for peace. The King said that Abbas had the 
will for peace, but was in need of international support to 
help him win the Arab street. He explained that through 
economic assistance Abbas could show tangible results of the 
peace process to the Palestinian people. The King spoke of 
how Abbas had broken with former Palestinian President Yasir 
Arafat early regarding the intifada and that Abbas knew that 
violence would lead nowhere. The King said he felt cautiously 
optimistic about the peace process and described the roadmap 
as the only means to achieve a just and comprehensive 
resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
King Concerned Syria Will Remain in Lebanon 
------------------------------------------- 
 
5. (C) Congressman Ander Crenshaw conveyed his appreciation 
to the King for the role Jordan has played in the peace 
process and in the Global War on Terror. He asked the King 
how he perceived Syria's recent moves in Lebanon. The King 
cited three reasons for his concern that Syria might not 
completely pull out of Lebanon. First, he pointed to Syria's 
desire to maintain radar sites on the heights of Lebanon for 
early detection of potential Israeli air strikes. Secondly, 
he estimated that Syria's presence in Lebanon allowed Syria 
to siphon off between one and three billion USD worth of 
economic benefits. Thirdly, he believed the 
Syria-Iran-Hizballah axis would be severely weakened if Syria 
lost its military and intelligence presence in Lebanon; the 
Syrian government "would not let this happen." Even if Syria 
withdrew all of its troops, it could exert significant 
control through Syrian and Lebanese intelligence agencies. 
That said, the King counseled against a U.S. or Israeli 
military option. 
 
---------------- 
Support for Iraq 
---------------- 
 
6. (C) The King reconfirmed Jordan's support for restoring 
Iraqi stability and commented on Jordan's efforts to attain 
that goal. He highlighted Jordan's role in providing 
counter-insurgency training to the Iraqi military. He noted 
that Iraqi units that received this training performed well 
last year in Falluja. The King said he thought the Iraqi 
police training in Jordan was good, but could be improved. He 
understood the quantity versus quality balance that needed to 
be taken into consideration, but felt that the current 
six-week course was too short. 
 
---------------- 
FMF Supplemental 
---------------- 
 
7. (C) Dreier asked Prince Faisal to explain the reasons 
behind the request for an FMF supplemental. Faisal 
highlighted two incidents that demonstrated the terrorist 
threat in Jordan; the disrupted April 2004 chemical bomb 
threat and the car bomb attempt at the Iraqi border crossing 
in December 2004. According to Faisal, investigations into 
the April bomb threat revealed most of the equipment and 
supplies had arrived in Jordan through normal border control 
points. This countered their previous belief that such 
material usually crossed the border in areas controlled by 
the military. Based on this information Faisal said that the 
GOJ began to look at the border in a more comprehensive 
manner in order to better integrate the military, border 
police, and civil response forces. He explained that the 
request for a supplemental was intended to provide better 
communications and information technology systems to make 
coordination more seamless. The goal of this integration is 
to prevent infiltration. Faisal mentioned the border with 
Saudi Arabia as a new concern for infiltration that they must 
now cover. In the past they focused primarily on the borders 
with Israel, Syria and Iraq. Faisal reiterated that these 
funds were intended for border security and counterterrorism; 
not for large weapon system procurements. 
 
7. (U) Codel Dreier did not have the opportunity to clear on 
this message. 
 
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