OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW; KING

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 001429

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2013
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR JO
SUBJECT: OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW; KING
RECONFIGURES ROYAL COURT

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

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) King Abdullah revamped the Royal Court on March 9,
replacing his most senior advisor, Chief of the Royal Court
Fayez Tarawneh, and creating a new Cabinet position with the
title Minister of the Royal Court. End Summary.

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NEW ROYAL COURT: NEW FACES
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2. (C) In an unexpected move, King Abdullah issued a royal
decree on March 9 appointing Chief of the Royal Court, Fayez
Tarawneh, to the Senate. Tarawneh had been in his position
for four years and was substantively engaged with the King on
many issues. (Comment: The King has often used appointment
to the Senate as a way to gracefully retire a senior official
he wishes to replace. End Comment.)


3. (C) His replacement on the Court is Yousef Dalabih, who
most recently served as Minister of State for Parliamentary
Affairs in Prime Minister Abul Ragheb's first Cabinet (June
2000-June 2001). Dalabih is from the prominent East Bank
Bani Hassan tribe. After graduating from Sandhurst military
academy in 1964, Dalabih rose to the rank of General in the
Army before his service in the Cabinet. Dalabih had a fairly
low profile in the government and is not well known to the
Embassy. Among our contacts, he is known as an
administrator, not a politician, and is generally well
respected.


4. (C) King Abdullah also reinstated the Cabinet position of
Minister of the Royal Court and appointed Faisal al-Fayez,
the Chief of Royal Protocol to the position. Al-Fayez is
from the prominent Bani Sakher tribe. The King also named
Emad Fakhouri as the General Coordinator of Royal Court
planning and Sharif Mohammad Ben Abdul Hamid Altuheymaq
replaced Fayez as the Chief of Royal Protocol.


5. (C) Emad Fakhouri, a well known contact of the Embassy,
most recently served as Investment and Development
Commissioner at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority.
In his role there, Fakhouri was enthusiastic, bright, and
hard-working. He was one of the few commissioners who
rejected the "Excellency" title, an indication that he saw
his work as a job rather than an honorific. Sharif Mohammad
has previously worked protocol issues at the Royal Court and
was the Court's point of contact during Vice President
Cheney's visit to Jordan last year. Mohammad has traveled to
the US and UK, and worked closely with the embassy-sponsored
American Language School to sponsor English language training
for Palace staff. He also has private sector experience in a
local Public Relations firm.


6. (C) FM Muasher, in a conversation with the Ambassador,
commented that the changes in the Royal Court reflect a
general downgrading of its function. In addition to removing
some holdovers from King Hussein's reign (e.g. Tarawneh),
King Abdullah appears to be creating a Royal Court with a
more administrative, rather than advisory, role. One Embassy
contact opined that the King appointed men from two key
tribes so they could handle any tribal dissension if there
are hostilities with Iraq. "A tribesman to deal with his
tribe in their own language."

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COMMENT
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7. (C) The reshuffle in the Royal Court staff will make it a
more administrative and support organization. Former Court
Chief Tarawneh, who often participated in King Abdullah's
substantive meetings, is out. New Royal Court Minister
Fayez, who served a largely support and scheduling function
as Chief of Protocol, has been elevated. This move seems to
indicate that the King wishes to get his policy advice from
quarters formally outside the Palace.
GNEHM