US embassy cable - 05AMMAN5994

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005994 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, JO, KICC 
SUBJECT: GOJ PUSHES ARTICLE 98 AGREEMENT IN SENATE 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 05848 
     B. AMMAN 05624 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
1.  (C) Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Abdul 
Karim al-Malahmeh told Charge July 28 that he and several 
other GOJ ministers (including the Foreign and Justice 
Ministers) would be going later in the day to the Jordanian 
Senate to explain and lobby for ratification of the Article 
98 agreement, which was previously stricken by the Lower 
House from its agenda for the current extraordinary session 
of parliament (ref B).  Malahmeh predicted that the Senate 
Legal Committee would very shortly recommend the agreement 
for ratification, and that the full Senate would begin debate 
on it early next week.  While Malahmeh was confident that the 
Article 98 agreement would meet with Senate approval, he was 
uncertain whether this would be accomplished before the 
conclusion of the current extraordinary session.  (NOTE:  The 
duration of the extraordinary session is determined by the 
King, currently outside Jordan, by means of a royal decree. 
The GOJ previously informed post that the session would 
likely end July 28 (ref A); we have no information yet on a 
revised date for the session's end.  END NOTE.) 
 
2.  (C) MP Suleiman Abu Ghaith (West Banker, Madaba) told 
emboffs July 28 that he and other MPs in the Lower House had 
voted to strike the Article 98 agreement from the 
extraordinary session agenda based on "sovereignty" concerns. 
 He admitted, however, that he knew very little about the 
agreement and that most MPs (including himself) had not even 
read it.  When emboffs described what the agreement entailed 
and how it did not infringe on Jordanian sovereignty, Abu 
Ghaith expressed some surprise and stated that the GOJ should 
have done a better job in explaining the agreement's 
provisions to MPs.  Abu Ghaith continued that even if the 
Lower House rejects the agreement when parliament reconvenes 
in the fall, in his opinion it would still likely be later 
ratified by a majority in a joint session of the Lower House 
and Senate (ref B) since "every Senator would attend," while 
the GOJ would help ensure that enough MPs opposing the 
agreement failed to show up for the vote. 
HALE