(C) JORDANIAN AMBASSADOR PROVIDES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000464 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/ARP, NEA/NGA E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/28/2013 TAGS: PREL EAID ECON IZ JO TC SUBJECT: (C) JORDANIAN AMBASSADOR PROVIDES READOUT ON ABDULLAH'S VISIT; DUBAI INVESTORS' CONFERENCE A BUST REF: Dubai 381 ¶1. (U) Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba, Reasons 1.5 (B) and (D). ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: Jordanian Ambassador to the UAE, Turki Khreisheh provided the Ambassador a brief readout on King Abdullah's January 20-22 visit to the UAE. Khreisheh noted that for the first time, Abdullah -- accompanied only by intel chief Saad Kheir -- met privately with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Zayid successor Shaykh Khalifa. The primary topic of this meeting was Jordan's difficult internal situation and steps the UAE could possibly take to alleviate Jordan's economic woes. Khreisheh also briefed that the Jordan investment conference held in Dubai was not a success (see reftel),in part due to disconnects on the Jordanian side as well as the fact that a looming military conflict with Iraq made for a poor investment climate in Jordan. End Summary. -------------- -------------- GETTING TO KNOW YOU: ABDULLAH AND KHALIFA MEET PRIVATELY -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) According to Jordan's ambassador to the UAE, Turki Khreisheh, King Abdullah's recent visit here was "very good" because he finally had a long, private session with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Shaykh Khalifa bin Zayid Al-Nahyan, de facto ruler of Abu Dhabi and Zayid's likely successor as UAE President. Khreisheh commented that Abdullah managed to conduct the entire meeting -- which went for an hour and a half -- in Arabic. (Note: Khalifa speaks almost no English. End Note.) Khreisheh said he personally did not mind not being in attendance at the meeting as it is essential to have the King and the Crown Prince build a personal relationship, particularly in light of the fact that Khalifa calls the shots on the Abu Dhabi (and hence UAE) budget and, by extension, the UAE's foreign assistance programs. While the King enjoys excellent relations with UAE Armed Forces Chief of Staff Shaykh Muhammad Bin Zayid Al-Nahyan, who is a great supporter of Jordan (the two, having attended Sandhurst together, have been close personal friends for a number of years),making the Khalifa connection is critical at this particular juncture, Khreisheh commented, given Jordan's dire economic situation. Attending Abdullah at the meeting was Jordan's intelligence chief, Saad Kheir, who according to Khreisheh provided the briefing on the internal situation in Jordan. -------------- -------------- Dubai Investment Conference Yields Disappointing Results -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) The much ballyhooed January 20 Jordan Investment Conference in Dubai, attended by King Abdullah, was not a success, Khreisheh briefed, at least in part because of poor coordination among the Jordanian organizers. In Khreisheh's view, there are too many "economic" departments within the Jordanian government -- in addition to those directly connected to the court. These various bodies were not in full coordination with the economic advisor to the court, who had overall responsibility for the conference. At any rate, Khreisheh questioned the timing of the conference, noting that most investors will wait until "after Iraq" to decide on whether and where to put their money. The Jordanian envoy noted that most of the big private sector investors invited to the Dubai affair had initially regretted and then half-heartedly attended only after the Jordanian organizer enlisted the personal support of Dubai Crown Prince Shaykh Muhammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (MBR). According to this version, those who showed up from the Dubai business elite only did so because it was a command performance. As Khreisheh put it to the Ambassador, "you cannot force investors to put their money down on the eve of a war." WAHBA