US embassy cable - 02AMMAN2768

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002768 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2012 
TAGS: PREL, KPAL, PGOV, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: KING ABDULLAH'S MAY 26 MEETING WITH CONGRESSMEN 
ISSA AND DAVIS 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR EDWARD W. GNEHM FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C) Congressman Darrell Issa and Congressman Tom Davis met 
on May 26 with King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Marwan 
Muasher.  The focus of both discussions was how to move 
forward on the peace process.  The Congressmen also asked the 
King for his impressions of Syrian President Bashar Asad. 
End Summary. 
 
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KING ADVOCATES TWO TRACK APPROACH TO PEACE 
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2. (C) In a May 26 meeting with Congressman Darrell Issa and 
Congressman Tom Davis, King Abdullah reiterated his support 
for the Arab League initiative, and voiced support for a 
two-track approach to the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP). 
The first track would focus solely on a Palestinian-Israeli 
peace process, while the second track, which he labeled the 
Arab-Israeli track, would focus on negotiations between Syria 
and Israel on the Golan Heights.  King Abdullah told the 
Congressmen that by having two tracks, the Syrians would not 
be able to hijack the process and stall progress on 
Israeli-Palestinian issues.  Because they would have their 
own track, the Syrians would remain engaged and would 
"behave". 
 
3. (C) When queried about his relationship with Syrian 
President Bashar Asad, King Abdullah said Asad was impressive 
when he was by himself, but noted that there was still 
uncertainty about Asad's authority to challenge the old 
guard.  King Abdullah said that he and Crown Prince Abdullah 
can play "good cop, bad cop" with Asad.  Crown Prince 
Abdullah has the capability to assert more direct pressure on 
Asad while King Abdullah can bridge the generational gap and 
take a more collegial approach. 
 
4. (C) In response to Congressman Issa's suggestion that the 
GOJ and Egypt send troops to the West Bank to work with the 
Palestinian Authority to improve security, King Abdullah said 
that it would be politically impossible for Jordan to insert 
troops into the West Bank.  "We can not trade Israeli tanks 
for Jordanian ones."  When Congressman Issa suggested that 
Jordan establish training camps in Jordan to help train 
Palestinian security forces, King Abdullah replied that the 
GOJ had trained a brigade of Palestinian special forces 
during the 1993-94 post-Oslo timeframe, but Arafat rejected 
them because he questioned their loyalty.  The unit remains 
in Jordan, but according to the King, could be inserted into 
the West Bank if Arafat would allow it. 
 
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FM: MUST BUILD POWERBASE OF THOSE AROUND ARAFAT...QUIETLY 
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5. (C) Congressmen Issa and Davis also met with Foreign 
Minister Muasher on May 26.  FM Muasher said that, to push 
the peace process forward again, there needs to be movement 
on three different fronts: the Arab League initiative, 
Palestinian Authority reform, and the renunciation of 
extremism.  The FonMin underscored the importance of the Arab 
League Initiative, stressing that it gives both Israelis and 
Arabs what they need.  He predicted that in the next few 
months, King Abdullah is going to take the Arab Initiative 
directly to the Israeli public via the Israeli media.  He 
also noted that while no Israeli politician had publicly 
endorsed the proposal, Israeli polls in the past few weeks 
show growing public support for the initiative. 
 
6. (C) FM Muasher also expressed optimism about the prospects 
for reform in the Palestinian Authority.  The FonMin relayed 
that during a recent visit, all of the people around Arafat 
"were challenging him publicly, in front of us."  He 
suggested that there was momentum in the Palestinian 
Authority to force Arafat along the road to reform, but the 
FM stressed that the move towards reform must be seen as 
coming from inside, not directed from the outside. 
 
7. (C) The FonMin said the GOJ would encourage the 
Palestinians to take a strong stand against extremist groups. 
 He said Saudi Arabia and Egypt--by taking strong actions 
against extremists in their own country-- provided the 
umbrella the Palestinians need to act against these 
organizations.  He commented that without a credible peace 
process that defines the endgame, however, the Palestinians 
cannot effectively act. 
 
8. (C) Congressmen Issa and Davis did not have an opportunity 
to clear this message before their departure. 
Gnehm