US embassy cable - 02AMMAN2478

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002478 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR U/S LARSON FOR MAY 20 MEETING 
TREASURY FOR U/S TAYLOR 
NSC FOR EDSON/LOWERY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2007 
TAGS: EFIN, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN AND DEBT ISSUES 
 
REF: AMMAN 2475 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR EDWARD W. GNEHM.  REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.  (C)  We understand there will be a high-level interagency 
meeting May 20 to discuss Jordan's request for debt relief 
from the Paris Club in the wake of King Abdullah's visit to 
Washington and meetings with the President, Secretary 
O'Neill, NSA Rice and other senior U.S. officials.  Since 
there seemed to be some question about where some of our 
partners in the Paris Club stood on this question, we thought 
it could be useful to offer the following information. 
(Reftel provides additional information on the views of IMF 
staff currently in Amman.) 
 
2.  (C) After returning to Amman, Ambasssdor Gnehm reviewed 
with the French Ambassador and British Charge where their 
governments stand at this point on Jordan's request.  The 
British Charge said that Prime Minister Blair had written a 
letter to King Abdullah in March that said HMG "fully 
supports another IMF program and new World Bank lending, and 
will press for the most generous possible debt rescheduling 
for Jordan when it attends the Paris Club later this year." 
That letter, according to the Charge, was cleared by the 
Finance Ministry and represents his government's policy on 
this matter.  (Following their meeting, the British Charge 
called the Ambassador to say that Secretary of State for 
Foreign Affairs Straw is likely to be sending out a letter -- 
one very similar to the Secretary Powell's letter late last 
year -- encouraging his counterparts to be supportive of the 
Jordanians along the lines of the PM's letter.) 
 
3.  (C)  The French Ambassador recalled that he had told the 
Ambassador before he left for Washington that the French 
Government had also decided "in response to U.S. prodding" to 
be forthcoming in responding to Jordanian requests.  That 
decision in Paris had included his Finance Ministry's 
approval.  He had been instructed to inform the Japanese 
Ambassador in Amman of the agreed French position so as to 
influence Tokyo to join this "forthcoming" approach.  He had 
done so.  Both the French Ambassador and British charge 
emphasized taht Paris and London developed their positions 
based on an understanding that Washington wanted to help 
Jordan. 
Gnehm