US embassy cable - 03AMMAN941

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000941 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR PA/OBS/BS G. SANTULLI; INFO NEA/PPD C. 
BOURGEOIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KPAO JO 
SUBJECT: SUBJECT:  TV CO-OP PROPOSAL:  BILATERAL AND 
REGIONAL ISSUES IN U.S.-JORDANIAN RELATIONS. 
 
1.  Summary:  Embassy Amman proposes a TV Co-op with a 
three-person crew from Jordan Television, the 
government-owned and sole local television station in 
Jordan, to produce original news features in the 
United States on the role of the Arab and Jordanian 
community in the United States, with specific 
attention paid to the role of women; issues related to 
Jordanian students in the United States; and issues 
related to implementation of the historic U.S.-Jordan 
Free Trade Agreement. 
 
2.  Background:   At a time when great misperceptions 
have emerged in the Arab world, including Jordan, 
regarding the lives of Arabs and Muslims in the United 
States, we see a great need for honest, in-depth 
reporting from the source that will correct some of 
those misperceptions.  Jordan is one of the U.S.' 
principal allies in the Arab world.  The U.S. and 
Jordanian governments enjoy excellent relations on all 
levels, and the relationship has begun to expand and 
deepen with the entry into force in 2001 of a 
bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).  In addition, 
according to figures from AMIDEAST, some 2000 
Jordanian students are resident in the United States 
each year, a percentage of the total Arab student 
population well above Jordan's size.   That said, 
there remains, in particular in the wake of the 
September 11 attacks in the U.S., an ignorance among 
much of the Jordanian population about ordinary life 
in America, and in particular among Jordanians and 
other Arabs resident in the U.S.  Reports of wide- 
spread harassment and even religious persecution 
against Arabs and Muslims in the United States have 
had great impact here, creating misperceptions that 
are difficult to dispel through traditional PD 
programs.  A TV-coop with Jordan TV, the country's 
only local broadcast station, from which are produced 
feature stories on the lives of Arabs and Muslims in 
the U.S., in particular women; the experiences of 
Jordanian students at U.S. colleges and universities; 
and a focus on the growing U.S.-Jordan trade 
relationship in the wake of passage of the FTA could 
directly address for a wide audience some of these key 
misperceptions. 
 
3.  Themes:  Jordan TV plans to focus on two themes. 
The first theme involves the Arab and Muslim community 
in the United States and its role in bridging the 
widening gap between the Arab and Muslim world on one 
hand and the West on the other.  Two sub-themes of 
this topic are the role of Arab and Muslim women in 
the U.S. and the experiences of Jordanian students 
resident in the U.S.   The second theme involves the 
growth of U.S.-Jordanian economic and trade relations, 
a subject of major interest in Jordan. 
 
4.  Theme Details: 
a.  The Arab and Muslim Community in the United 
States:  Jordan TV would like to focus on the life of 
Arabs and Muslims in American society:  their life, 
work and their impact on the American opinion of Arabs 
and Muslims around the world.  A first sub-theme of 
this topic is an exploration of the role of Arab and 
Muslim women in the United States:  does it differ 
from their role in traditional Arab or Muslim 
societies? What are the stereotypes they are faced to 
confront in American society, and have they had any 
success in changing those stereotypes?    Jordan TV 
would also like to focus on Jordanian students 
resident in the United States:  their place in 
American life as a bridge between two cultures and how 
they portray their own society and causes/issues 
important to them.   The underlying focus of these 
topics will be how each of these groups (Arabs, women, 
students) may  influence American society, or serve to 
close the gap between Arab and American societies. 
 
b.  U.S.-Jordanian Economic Relations:  Jordan TV 
would like to explore the impact in the United States 
of the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement, an issue of 
great interest to Jordanians, but one rarely viewed 
from a U.S. perspective.  Jordan is only the fourth 
country to sign an FTA with the United States, and 
trade ties between the two countries have only 
recently emerged as a central issue.  The FTA is not 
only a meaningful symbol of the importance attached by 
the United States to its relationship with Jordan, but 
is an increasingly important element to Jordan's 
future economic development.  Jordan TV would like to 
explore this issue and elucidate sectors and areas 
where Jordan might do better in taking advantage of 
this historic opportunity. 
 
5.  Logistics:  Jordan TV plans to send a three-person 
crew to take part in the Co-op.  They will pay the 
international airfare for this crew. 
 
6.  Broadcasting:  Jordan Television has committed to 
airing these feature programs on its prime-time news 
broadcasts, in addition to airing some of them on its 
weekly "60 minutes" news feature program, Jordan's 
most popular news-based show. 
 
7.  Contact Persons:  Control Officer is IO Justin 
Siberell: telephone: (962)-6-592-0101 ext. 2618; fax: 
(962)-6-592-0121; cellular: (962)-79-559-0963; e-mail: 
jsiberell@pd.state.gov.  Responsible FSN is 
Information Specialist Tania Khoury: telephone: (962) 
6 5920101 ext. 2576; fax (962) 6 5920121; cellular 
(962) 79 5532565; e-mail: tkhoury@pd.state.gov. 
BERRY