US embassy cable - 03AMMAN1429

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 001429 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, JO 
SUBJECT: OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW; KING 
RECONFIGURES ROYAL COURT 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR EDWARD W. GNEHM FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C) King Abdullah revamped the Royal Court on March 9, 
replacing his most senior advisor, Chief of the Royal Court 
Fayez Tarawneh, and creating a new Cabinet position with the 
title Minister of the Royal Court.  End Summary. 
 
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NEW ROYAL COURT: NEW FACES 
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2. (C) In an unexpected move, King Abdullah issued a royal 
decree on March 9 appointing Chief of the Royal Court, Fayez 
Tarawneh, to the Senate.  Tarawneh had been in his position 
for four years and was substantively engaged with the King on 
many issues.  (Comment: The King has often used appointment 
to the Senate as a way to gracefully retire a senior official 
he wishes to replace.  End Comment.) 
 
3. (C) His replacement on the Court is Yousef Dalabih, who 
most recently served as Minister of State for Parliamentary 
Affairs in Prime Minister Abul Ragheb's first Cabinet (June 
2000-June 2001).  Dalabih is from the prominent East Bank 
Bani Hassan tribe.  After graduating from Sandhurst military 
academy in 1964, Dalabih rose to the rank of General in the 
Army before his service in the Cabinet.  Dalabih had a fairly 
low profile in the government and is not well known to the 
Embassy.  Among our contacts, he is known as an 
administrator, not a politician, and is generally well 
respected. 
 
4. (C) King Abdullah also reinstated the Cabinet position of 
Minister of the Royal Court and appointed Faisal al-Fayez, 
the Chief of Royal Protocol to the position.  Al-Fayez is 
from the prominent Bani Sakher tribe.  The King also named 
Emad Fakhouri as the General Coordinator of Royal Court 
planning and Sharif Mohammad Ben Abdul Hamid Altuheymaq 
replaced Fayez as the Chief of Royal Protocol. 
 
5. (C) Emad Fakhouri, a well known contact of the Embassy, 
most recently served as Investment and Development 
Commissioner at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority. 
In his role there, Fakhouri was enthusiastic, bright, and 
hard-working.  He was one of the few commissioners who 
rejected the "Excellency" title, an indication that he saw 
his work as a job rather than an honorific.  Sharif Mohammad 
has previously worked protocol issues at the Royal Court and 
was the Court's point of contact during Vice President 
Cheney's visit to Jordan last year.  Mohammad has traveled to 
the US and UK, and worked closely with the embassy-sponsored 
American Language School to sponsor English language training 
for Palace staff.  He also has private sector experience in a 
local Public Relations firm. 
 
6. (C) FM Muasher, in a conversation with the Ambassador, 
commented that the changes in the Royal Court reflect a 
general downgrading of its function.  In addition to removing 
some holdovers from King Hussein's reign (e.g. Tarawneh), 
King Abdullah appears to be creating a Royal Court with a 
more administrative, rather than advisory, role.  One Embassy 
contact opined that the King appointed men from two key 
tribes so they could handle any tribal dissension if there 
are hostilities with Iraq.  "A tribesman to deal with his 
tribe in their own language." 
 
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COMMENT 
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7. (C) The reshuffle in the Royal Court staff will make it a 
more administrative and support organization.  Former Court 
Chief Tarawneh, who often participated in King Abdullah's 
substantive meetings, is out.  New Royal Court Minister 
Fayez, who served a largely support and scheduling function 
as Chief of Protocol, has been elevated.  This move seems to 
indicate that the King wishes to get his policy advice from 
quarters formally outside the Palace. 
GNEHM