US embassy cable - 03AMMAN143

S E C R E T AMMAN 000143 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2013 
TAGS: PREL, TU, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: TURKISH PM GUL'S JANUARY 6 VISIT: IN PUBLIC 
STATEMENTS BOTH SIDES STRESS NEED TO AVERT WAR, MAINTAIN 
IRAQI TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm.  Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1. (U) Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul met with King 
Abdullah and Jordanian PM Ali Abul Ragheb January 6 in Amman, 
in the third stop of Gul's trip through the region.  The 
visit was given prominent above-the-fold coverage in all of 
the Kingdom's Arabic and English dailies.  Press accounts, 
quoting generously from PM Abul Ragheb, stressed the two 
countries' agreement to "speed up efforts to peacefully 
resolve the deadlock between Iraq and the U.S., avoiding a 
war in the region."  A one-page official statement noted that 
the two sides had agreed that "all efforts exerted to resolve 
the crisis should be made under the umbrella of the UN." 
 
2. (U) Following his meeting with PM Abul Ragheb, Gul held a 
press conference in which he stated: "All our efforts are 
being made to prevent a war from erupting in the region whose 
repercussion would be very dramatic."  He added that "the 
official policy of the Turkish Republic is to preserve the 
unity of Iraq's territory and that the entire Iraqi people 
benefit from the riches of Iraq."  The official Jordan News 
Agency, Petra, quoted PM Abul Ragheb as saying that any 
military action would have "very negative consequences on 
regional peace, security and economy."  The Jordanian PM, 
according to Petra, also reiterated "the Kingdom's position 
rejecting the use of its territories and airspace in any 
'aggression' against Iraq." 
 
3. (S) As reported separately, the King was much more 
constructive in his private remarks to his Turkish visitor 
than Jordan's public statements would indicate.  The 
Jordanian government is clearly still wary of moving away 
from its longstanding public position, which unsurprisingly 
shows considerable deference to widespread opposition among 
Jordanians to conflict with Iraq. 
 
GNEHM