US embassy cable - 05AMMAN7157

S E C R E T AMMAN 007157 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2015 
TAGS: PREL, IR, IS, IZ, JO, KWBG, SY 
SUBJECT: SAAD KHAYR ON IRAQ, IRAN, PEACE PROCESS, SYRIA 
 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
1.  (C) IRAQ: Former GID Director (and head of Jordan's 
embryonic National Security Council) Saad Khayr told the 
Charge September 7 that King Abdallah's visit to Turkey 
earlier this week focused on Iraq and Israeli-Palestinian 
issues.  On Iraq, Khayr said the Turks shared Jordan's 
interest in seeing greater Sunni engagement in the political 
process, and were hopeful the draft constitution could be 
further improved later on to meet Sunni concerns.  Khayr 
highlighted Iyad Allawi as particularly able to bring the 
Sunnis into the process, though the GoJ's discussion with the 
Turks did not specifically address Allawi as a future 
candidate for PM (likely what Khayr or others in the GoJ have 
in mind).  Fearing that its planned Sunni-Shia reconciliation 
conference could get caught up in the debate over the 
constitution, the GoJ has decided to postpone the event, 
perhaps until the pre-referendum timeframe. 
 
2.  (S) IRAN: Khayr said he will travel Sept. 7 to Tehran for 
a short visit, his first in two years, to assess new Iranian 
President Ahmedinajad.  Khayr noted the recent appointment of 
the new Iranian Interior Minister -- reportedly a senior aide 
to the Intelligence Minister -- as yet another indication of 
the hardline consolidation within Iran.  Khayr predicted the 
Iranian hardliners would try to project a desire for good 
relations with the GoJ notwithstanding their continued 
attempts to undermine Jordan's interests behind the scenes. 
Charge urged Khayr to encourage positive Iranian behavior on 
Iraq, nuclear technology, the Israeli-Palestinian peace 
process, and Syria/Lebanon, and noted that while the Iranians 
may not have had a direct hand in the Aqaba attack, the 
Katyusha itself undoubtedly came from one of their terrorist 
appendages. 
 
3. (C) ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS: Closer to home, Khayr indicated 
he had met with Israeli PM Sharon in Jerusalem recently. 
After hearing from Sharon of his precarious political 
situation within the Likud and resulting inability to offer 
any confidence-building measures for the Palestinians (e.g., 
releases of Palestinian prisoners, movement on the airport 
issue) at this time, the Jordanians decided to postpone the 
King's travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah which the King had 
earlier told the Charge he wanted to do prior to his 
Washington visit and which has surfaced in regional media. 
Rather than go to Ramallah only, the King decided to postpone 
both stops.  Sharon told Saad there would be unprecedented 
Israeli retaliation to any Palestinian attacks, and laid out 
a tough message on Palestinian security requirements -- 
dissolve and disarm the terrorist groups and implement 
security reforms now.  Saad agreed these were necessary 
steps, but personally doubted Abu Mazen could deliver. 
 
4.  (C) SYRIA: Khayr agreed entirely on the need for 
continued isolation and pressure.  The Charge asked for his 
help in spreading the word to other Arab states, especially 
in treating the Syrian delegation to the UNGA at arms' length. 
HALE