US embassy cable - 02AMMAN5737

UNCLAS AMMAN 005737 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USTR FOR NED SAUMS; CAIRO ALSO FOR FAS ASIF CHAUDRY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ECON, EINV, EAGR, PINR, JO 
SUBJECT: BIOS ON NEW CABINET MEMBERS 
 
1. (U) King Abdullah and Prime Minister Abul Ragheb 
reshuffled the Cabinet on September 26 adding 4 new members 
to the Cabinet, and reassigning one Cabinet member to a new 
portfolio.  Para 2 contains biographical data on the new 
ministers. 
 
2. (U) New members of the Cabinet are: 
 
A. (U) Minister of National Economy: Samer al-Tawil 
 
Muslim, East Banker.  Al-Tawil was born in Damascus in 1967, 
obtained a BS in economics and accounting from the University 
of Jordan in 1988, and an International Legal Accounting 
Certificate from Illinois University.  Al-Tawil has a private 
sector background in trade and oil services, but earlier this 
year, he was appointed Secretary General for the Ministry of 
Trade and Industry.  He is also a member of the board of 
directors at the Arab Bank, the Jordan Refinery Company, and 
the Export Development Corporation. 
 
B. (U) Minister of Social Development: Dr. Ruwaida Ma'ita. 
 
Muslim, East Banker.  Dr. Ma'ita, born in Kerak in 1955, 
obtained a MS in Public Health from Tulane University and a 
PhD in Public and International Health from Louisiana 
University.  She served as a health and social development 
consultant to HRH Princess Muna before her appointment this 
year as President of the al-Hashimiyeh University. 
 
C. (U) Minister of Higher Education: Mohammad Hamdan. 
 
Muslim, West Banker.  Hamdan was born in Jaffa in 1934 and 
has a long history of involvement in education.  He recieved 
his PhD in Mathematics from Sydney University in 1963 and 
held several University positions, including Professor at the 
American University in Beirut, and Dean and President of 
Yarmouk University.  He has previously held the Minister of 
Higher Education position under PM Badran in 1989 and PM 
Majali in 1998.  He was appointed Secretary General of the 
Higher Council for Science and Technology in September 1998. 
 
D. (U) Minister of Agriculture: Turad al-Fayez. 
 
Muslim, East Banker.  Al-Fayez, born in Amman in 1941, has a 
long history of service in the GOJ, though not necessarily in 
the field of Agriculture.  He holds a BS in Political Science 
from the University of Oklahoma.  He has served in both the 
Ministry of Information and the Foreign Ministry, where he 
held several Ambassadorships, including to Bahrain, Lebanon, 
and Egypt.  He has also served as Jordan's Permanent 
Representative to the Arab League.  His most recent 
appointment was to the Senate, in November 2001. 
 
E. (U) Minister of Health: Dr. Walid Maani. 
 
Muslim, East Banker.  Ma'ani was appointed Minister of Higher 
Education during the last Cabinet reshuffle in January 2002. 
He has now been re-appointed as Minister of Health.  Ma'ani 
was born in 1946 and received his MD in 1969 and a diploma in 
general surgery in 1970 from Alexandria University in Egypt. 
Ma'ani established the Department of Neurosurgery at the 
Faculty of Medicine and the University of Jordan Hospital in 
1977, and has been head of that department since then.  He 
had been president of the University of Jordan since 1998 
before taking on his duties as Minister of Higher Education 
earlier this year.  Ma'ani has published more than 20 
original articles in international medical research journals 
and has been a member on several scientific committees, 
including the Jordanian Neurosciences Society and the Society 
of British Neurosurgeons.  He was recently elected as a 
member of the board of directors for the Jordan-American 
Commission for Education Exchange (Fulbright).  Ma'ani was 
behind the creation of the American Studies Master's 
Program--the only such program in the region--at Jordan 
University.  In meetings with Embassy officials, Ma'ani has 
expressed great respect for U.S. educational, cultural, and 
medical programs. 
 
GNEHM