US embassy cable - 05AMMAN9372

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 009372 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2010 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: KING REVIEWS DOMESTIC ISSUES, REFORM AGENDA 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador David Hale, Reasons 1.4, (B) & (D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary: The King believes the aftermath of the 
November 9 bombings has given him the political upperhand to 
compel parliamentary passage of key reformist legislation. 
His Prime Minister is less certain, predicting an easy vote 
of confidence but controversary over the budget.  Both 
leaders assure Ambassador that ratification of the Article 98 
agreement and adoption of the draft anti-money laundering 
bill are top prioirites, along with a new election law and a 
controversial belt-tightening budget.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) Immediately after delivering his speech from the 
throne reconvening parliament, the King hosted lunch for 
resident EU and G-8 ambassadors on December 1.  Key points 
follow: 
 
--Acknowledging he had considered dissolving parliament and 
calling early elections in order to overcome parliamentary 
opposition to reform, the King said the November 9 bombings 
had changed the dynamics.  He had decided to bring parliament 
back, as it was critical now to build on national unity, not 
undercut it.  He also needed parliament's endorsement of new 
security laws necessitated by the bombings, and its help in 
making sure those laws do not have negative effects on human 
rights and political reform.  In a one-on-one with Ambassador 
after the lunch, the King said he was giving the current 
parliament "one last chance" to support the reform agenda. 
He believed that members were sobered by his unpublicized but 
now widely known threat to dissolve parliament.  They now 
would be less tempted to challenge the King's program at a 
time of national unity.  In short, the bombings had given the 
King a degree of political strength unseen since the death of 
his father, King Hussein.  He said he still anticipated 
parliamentary elections sometime in late 2006, about a year 
earlier than planned.  His current thinking is to dissolve 
parliament only on the eve of those elections, allowing just 
enough time for a brief campaign season without generating 
concerns he was seeking to rule without a legislature. 
 
--The King's parliamentary priorities were:  adoption of 
party and election laws that will improve parliamentary 
representation on a one-man, one-vote system; establishment 
of an ombudsman and an independent anti-corruption unit; 
accelerated privatization and a new tax regime to help the 
private sector and improve public finances; and a concerted 
campaign to eliminate poverty and unemployment.  As Jordan 
undertook the difficult campaign against terrorism, it would 
need to provide a social safety net to the poor, and needed 
continued foreign assistance to do so.  The King appealed to 
the EU/G-8 to continue to support Jordan.  (Prime Minister 
Bakheet separately told Ambassador he doubted a majority of 
Parliament would pass an election law that will disadvantage 
many incumbents, but would do his best.  If the current 
Parliament adopted a reform election law, he personally saw 
no need for early elections.  Privately, both leaders told 
Ambassador ratification of the Article 98 agreement and 
adoption of an anti-money laundering law were top priorities 
as well.) 
 
--The "gloves are off" now in Jordan's battle against takfiri 
extremism, the King said, but he would not violate basic 
human rights.  Persons using extremist rhetoric to incite 
terrorism would be taken to court.  If guilty, they would be 
fined, but not jailed.  He would also insist the Islamic 
Action Front-dominated charities and unions open their 
financial books for transparent examination, and pay taxes. 
He said no draconian steps were contemplated.  Alone with 
Ambassador, the King has expressed on several recent 
occasions his unhappiness with a perceived Qatari policy ) 
through al-Jazeera ) of promoting the takfiri message and 
attacking Jordan.  He described Jordanian-Qatari relations as 
rapidly deteriorating and said he would not stand aside while 
al-Jazeera incited terrorism.  On December 5 he passed along 
a paper detailing Qatar's offenses, which post will provide 
to NEA. 
HALE