US embassy cable - 03AMMAN4332

S E C R E T AMMAN 004332 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PINR, JO 
SUBJECT: KING SAYS MINOR CABINET RESHUFFLE SOON, NEW 
GOVERNMENT IN THE FALL 
 
Classified By: PolCouns Doug Silliman for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D) 
 
------------------------------------ 
SMALL CABINET RESHUFFLE IN THE WORKS 
------------------------------------ 
 
1.  (S)  King Abdullah told the Ambassador July 13 that he 
has been working with Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb on the 
details of a small cabinet reshuffle to be announced in the 
next few days.  The King said that Abul Ragheb had wanted to 
change 5-6 ministers, but the King told him to limit it to 
2-3.  Although Abul Ragheb had wanted to change some of the 
"active" ministers -- including Minister of Planning Bassam 
Awadallah -- the King commented that all of the progressive 
ministers with which the U.S. is used to deal would remain in 
the new cabinet.  "I cannot give Bassam an award for 
organizing the WEF (World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea), 
then scrap him as minister."  The King singled out Deputy PM 
and Minister of Justice Faris Nabulsi as a cabinet member who 
is "tired and wants to leave" the government. 
 
---------------------------- 
BUT NO NEW PM UNTIL THE FALL 
---------------------------- 
 
2.  (S)  The King said he had no intention of changing PM at 
this juncture, but would wait until the convening of the 
regular session of Parliament (likely in October, but could 
be as late as December) before nominating a new government. 
The King said he anticipated that any new ministers appointed 
now would remain in a new government in the fall.  He 
understands the importance of continuity in implementing 
reform and government policy. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
GOJ MAY COME UNDER SOME FIRE FROM NEW PARLIAMENT 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
3.  (C)  With the opening of Parliament this week, we expect 
to see calls for changes of individual ministers.  One 
informed Jordanian told the Ambassador July 13 that Planning 
Minster Awadallah, ITC Minister Zo'bi, Education Minister 
Touqan, Health Minister Maani, and Municipal and Rural 
Affairs Minister Tubaishat would likely receive the most 
criticism.  Parliamentary Speaker candidate Saad Hayel Srour 
told PolCouns last week that, despite what he expected would 
be a large number of ad hominem attacks on individual 
ministers during the first few weeks of Parliament -- and 
especially if the PM submits the government to the Parliament 
for a vote of confidence -- he is certain that, at the end of 
the day, the government would receive 70 plus votes of 
confidence out of 110. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
4.  (S)  The King implied, but did not state definitively, 
that he would replace Abul Ragheb as PM in the fall.  Abul 
Ragheb himself seems to have been trying to engineer a more 
extensive government reshuffle now and put more of his people 
in place to make it more difficult for the King to appoint a 
new PM in the fall. 
GNEHM