US embassy cable - 05AMMAN5624

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005624 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, JO 
SUBJECT: LOWER HOUSE VOTES TO STRIKE ARTICLE 98 FROM AGENDA 
OF EXTRAORDINARY SESSION 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C)  During the opening of Parliament's extraordinary 
session on July 14, the Lower House voted overwhelmingly to 
exclude the Article 98 agreement from its agenda.  (Note: The 
omission of the Anti-Money Laundering Law from the agenda 
will be reported septel. End Note.)  The agreement, which 
must be ratified by parliament before it becomes Jordanian 
law, was among 35 agenda items slated for discussion during 
the session, and the only one to be rejected.  At this point, 
parliamentary rules require that the upper house, the Senate, 
weighs in.  If the Senate concurs with the lower house, the 
bill will be sent back to the government, which can then 
submit an amended bill.  If the Senate rejects the Lower 
House's decision, the two houses must convene to vote in 
conference on the bill.  Deputy PM Muasher told Charge after 
the vote that the cabinet is still thinking of a strategy to 
achieve the latter outcome, but that he expected it to be a 
drawn out fight, one that likely will not be resolved in the 
two-week long extraordinary session. 
 
2.  (C)  A number a factors may have influenced the vote to 
strike Article 98 from the agenda.  The Secretary General of 
the Parliament told us that the perception that the agreement 
is inconsistent with Jordanian law was a major reason behind 
the rejection.  In reporting the rejection in its afternoon 
news broadcast, state-run Jordan Television cited two 
reasons: 1) that the United States has not committed itself 
to allowing the extradition of its own citizens to the 
International Criminal Court (ICC); and 2) that Article 98 
contradicts the rules that govern the ICC itself.  The 
broadcast did not elaborate on either point.  Some deputies' 
opposition to the government, more than the merits of Article 
98 itself, may also be a factor. 
 
3.  (C)  Comment:  Today's events are a setback, particularly 
to embattled Prime Minister Badran, who is struggling 
foremost to ensure his new cabinet wins the vote of 
confidence during this extraordinary session, expected to 
last two weeks.  Some senior government officials are putting 
a positive spin on events, expressing confidence that 
parliamentary support for Article 98 can eventually be 
gained.  Given the short time frame of this session, however, 
and the GOJ's focus on achieving confidence as well as 
passing a new anti-corruption bill (reported septel), we 
expect this issue to remain unresolved until the regular 
session commences this fall, likely in November.  In a July 
14 discussion with Planning Minister al-Ali, Charge stressed 
the importance both Congress and the Administration attached 
to ratification of the agreement, pointing to the Nethercutt 
Amendment.  It would be important, he said, during her visit 
to Washington at the end of July to describe the government's 
strategy to win parliamentary backing for the agreement. 
 
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