KING ABDULLAH'S MAY 26 MEETING WITH CONGRESSMEN

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002768

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2012
TAGS: PREL KPAL PGOV ISRAEL'>IS JO
SUBJECT: KING ABDULLAH'S MAY 26 MEETING WITH CONGRESSMEN
ISSA AND DAVIS


Classified By: AMBASSADOR EDWARD W. GNEHM FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Congressman Darrell Issa and Congressman Tom Davis met
on May 26 with King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Marwan
Muasher. The focus of both discussions was how to move
forward on the peace process. The Congressmen also asked the
King for his impressions of Syrian President Bashar Asad.
End Summary.

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KING ADVOCATES TWO TRACK APPROACH TO PEACE
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2. (C) In a May 26 meeting with Congressman Darrell Issa and
Congressman Tom Davis, King Abdullah reiterated his support
for the Arab League initiative, and voiced support for a
two-track approach to the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP).
The first track would focus solely on a Palestinian-ISRAELi
peace process, while the second track, which he labeled the
Arab-ISRAELi track, would focus on negotiations between Syria
and ISRAEL on the Golan Heights. King Abdullah told the
Congressmen that by having two tracks, the Syrians would not
be able to hijack the process and stall progress on
ISRAELi-Palestinian issues. Because they would have their
own track, the Syrians would remain engaged and would
"behave".


3. (C) When queried about his relationship with Syrian
President Bashar Asad, King Abdullah said Asad was impressive
when he was by himself, but noted that there was still
uncertainty about Asad's authority to challenge the old
guard. King Abdullah said that he and Crown Prince Abdullah
can play "good cop, bad cop" with Asad. Crown Prince
Abdullah has the capability to assert more direct pressure on
Asad while King Abdullah can bridge the generational gap and
take a more collegial approach.


4. (C) In response to Congressman Issa's suggestion that the
GOJ and Egypt send troops to the West Bank to work with the
Palestinian Authority to improve security, King Abdullah said
that it would be politically impossible for Jordan to insert
troops into the West Bank. "We can not trade ISRAELi tanks
for Jordanian ones." When Congressman Issa suggested that
Jordan establish training camps in Jordan to help train
Palestinian security forces, King Abdullah replied that the
GOJ had trained a brigade of Palestinian special forces
during the 1993-94 post-Oslo timeframe, but Arafat rejected
them because he questioned their loyalty. The unit remains
in Jordan, but according to the King, could be inserted into
the West Bank if Arafat would allow it.

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FM: MUST BUILD POWERBASE OF THOSE AROUND ARAFAT...QUIETLY
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5. (C) Congressmen Issa and Davis also met with Foreign
Minister Muasher on May 26. FM Muasher said that, to push
the peace process forward again, there needs to be movement
on three different fronts: the Arab League initiative,
Palestinian Authority reform, and the renunciation of
extremism. The FonMin underscored the importance of the Arab
League Initiative, stressing that it gives both ISRAELis and
Arabs what they need. He predicted that in the next few
months, King Abdullah is going to take the Arab Initiative
directly to the ISRAELi public via the ISRAELi media. He
also noted that while no ISRAELi politician had publicly
endorsed the proposal, ISRAELi polls in the past few weeks
show growing public support for the initiative.


6. (C) FM Muasher also expressed optimism about the prospects
for reform in the Palestinian Authority. The FonMin relayed
that during a recent visit, all of the people around Arafat
"were challenging him publicly, in front of us." He
suggested that there was momentum in the Palestinian
Authority to force Arafat along the road to reform, but the
FM stressed that the move towards reform must be seen as
coming from inside, not directed from the outside.


7. (C) The FonMin said the GOJ would encourage the
Palestinians to take a strong stand against extremist groups.
He said Saudi Arabia and Egypt--by taking strong actions
against extremists in their own country-- provided the
umbrella the Palestinians need to act against these
organizations. He commented that without a credible peace
process that defines the endgame, however, the Palestinians
cannot effectively act.


8. (C) Congressmen Issa and Davis did not have an opportunity
to clear this message before their departure.
Gnehm