US embassy cable - 03AMMAN3332

S E C R E T AMMAN 003332 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2013 
TAGS: PREL, CJAN, PGOV, JO 
SUBJECT: FBI DIRECTOR MUELLER WITH FOREIGN MINISTER 
MUASHER:  EXTRADITION TREATY TO GO TO NEW PARLIAMENT 
 
Classified By: PolCouns Doug Silliman for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D) 
 
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EXTRADITION TREATY TO NEW PARLIAMENT FOR APPROVAL 
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1.  (C)  FBI Director Robert Mueller met June 1 with 
Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher.  The Ambassador, 
Mueller's Special Assistant Solomon, Executive Assistant 
Director D'Amuro, LEGATT, and PolCouns accompanied Mueller. 
Muasher's Personal Assistant Ali al-Ayed and MFA Legal 
Advisor Samer Naber joined on the Jordanian side.  Mueller 
praised Jordan for its law enforcement and intelligence 
cooperation over many years, especially on counterterrorism. 
He expressed the great importance the USG places on the 
Jordan-U.S. bilateral extradition treaty, and hoped that the 
U.S. and Jordan could soon overcome the impediments to full 
implementation of the treaty. 
 
2.  (C)  Muasher admitted that the treaty had run into 
problems in 1995.  Jordan had brought the treaty into force 
without Parliamentary approval, and several members of 
Parliament had "made a big fuss" when the first person to be 
extradited to the U.S. was a high-profile suspect in the 1993 
WTC bombing.  Over the past two years, Muasher continued, 
there has not been a sitting Parliament.  The GOJ plans to 
use the terrorism issue to justify approval of the treaty in 
the new Parliament which will be elected June 17.  However, 
Muasher cautioned, "I can make no promises (regarding the 
chances for Parliamentary approval) until I see the 
composition of the new Parliament." 
 
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JORDANIAN POLICE TO TRAIN IRAQI POLICE? 
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3.  (S)  Mueller said that he believed Jordanian police 
officers could play a useful role in training and rebuilding 
Iraqi police forces.  He noted that the Director of the 
Jordanian Public Security Directorate, Gen. Tahseen Shurdom, 
has excellent connections among retired Iraqi police and army 
officials, and had expressed to Mueller a willingness to 
travel to Iraq to talk to those officials about how they 
could help rebuild Iraq.  Muasher said that he hoped Jordan 
could also help rebuild Iraq economically, including by 
assisting with administration of Iraq's airports and 
rebuilding Iraqi Airways. 
 
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COMMENT 
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4.  (S)  Muasher's pledge that the GOJ will submit the 
extradition treaty to Parliament for approval is good news. 
Hopefully the GOJ can justify passage of the treaty by 
arguing for the need for international cooperation against 
terrorism and crime in the wake of September 11. 
 
5.  (S)  However, Parliamentary approval is not the only 
problem preventing full implementation of the bilateral 
extradition treaty.  An article of the Jordanian constitution 
prohibits Jordanian citizens from being "deported from the 
territory of the Kingdom."  Jordanian courts have thus far 
interpreted this clause to mean that extradition of Jordanian 
citizens under the bilateral extradition treaty is 
unconstitutional.  Even with Parliamentary approval, the GOJ 
may well have an uphill battle to convince Jordanian courts 
to extradite to the U.S. criminals other than third-country 
nationals. 
BERRY