JORDAN: BILATERAL AGREEMENTS ON THE INTERNATIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 003888 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2012 TAGS: PREL LICC SUBJECT: JORDAN: BILATERAL AGREEMENTS ON THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT REF: STATE 135262 Classified By: AMBASSADOR EDWARD W. GNEHM; REASONS: 1.5 (B) (D) ¶1. (C) The Ambassador raised the proposed bilateral agreement on the ICC (reftel) with Prime Minister Abul Ragheb on July 15. The Prime Minister said that Jordan agrees with the U.S. approach at the policy level, but will have to examine the legal issues involved, such as the legal precedence of international as opposed to bilateral agreements. In principle, he said, Jordan is supportive of the U.S. position and shares some of the U.S. concerns about the ICC and peacekeeping operations. (Note: King Abdullah took the same position previously in a conversation with a visiting senior American official.) ¶2. (U) Also on July 15, the DCM met with Ali al-Ayed, personal aide to the Foreign Minister, and delivered the talking points in reftel. He reminded Ayed that Jordanians at the highest levels had accepted the American approach in principle, and he provided a copy of the draft agreement as a non-paper. Ayed said he would pass the draft to the MFA's lawyers for a quick review and get back to us with a substantive response. Gnehm