FBI DIRECTOR MUELLER WITH FOREIGN MINISTER

S E C R E T AMMAN 003332

SIPDIS

NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2013
TAGS: PREL CJAN PGOV JO
SUBJECT: FBI DIRECTOR MUELLER WITH FOREIGN MINISTER
MUASHER: EXTRADITION TREATY TO GO TO NEW PARLIAMENT

Classified By: PolCouns Doug Silliman for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D)

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EXTRADITION TREATY TO NEW PARLIAMENT FOR APPROVAL
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1. (C) FBI Director Robert Mueller met June 1 with
Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher. The Ambassador,
Mueller's Special Assistant Solomon, Executive Assistant
Director D'Amuro, LEGATT, and PolCouns accompanied Mueller.
Muasher's Personal Assistant Ali al-Ayed and MFA Legal
Advisor Samer Naber joined on the Jordanian side. Mueller
praised Jordan for its law enforcement and intelligence
cooperation over many years, especially on counterterrorism.
He expressed the great importance the USG places on the
Jordan-U.S. bilateral extradition treaty, and hoped that the
U.S. and Jordan could soon overcome the impediments to full
implementation of the treaty.


2. (C) Muasher admitted that the treaty had run into
problems in 1995. Jordan had brought the treaty into force
without Parliamentary approval, and several members of
Parliament had "made a big fuss" when the first person to be
extradited to the U.S. was a high-profile suspect in the 1993
WTC bombing. Over the past two years, Muasher continued,
there has not been a sitting Parliament. The GOJ plans to
use the terrorism issue to justify approval of the treaty in
the new Parliament which will be elected June 17. However,
Muasher cautioned, "I can make no promises (regarding the
chances for Parliamentary approval) until I see the
composition of the new Parliament."

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JORDANIAN POLICE TO TRAIN IRAQI POLICE?
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3. (S) Mueller said that he believed Jordanian police
officers could play a useful role in training and rebuilding
Iraqi police forces. He noted that the Director of the
Jordanian Public Security Directorate, Gen. Tahseen Shurdom,
has excellent connections among retired Iraqi police and army
officials, and had expressed to Mueller a willingness to
travel to Iraq to talk to those officials about how they
could help rebuild Iraq. Muasher said that he hoped Jordan
could also help rebuild Iraq economically, including by
assisting with administration of Iraq's airports and
rebuilding Iraqi Airways.

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COMMENT
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4. (S) Muasher's pledge that the GOJ will submit the
extradition treaty to Parliament for approval is good news.
Hopefully the GOJ can justify passage of the treaty by
arguing for the need for international cooperation against
terrorism and crime in the wake of September 11.


5. (S) However, Parliamentary approval is not the only
problem preventing full implementation of the bilateral
extradition treaty. An article of the Jordanian constitution
prohibits Jordanian citizens from being "deported from the
territory of the Kingdom." Jordanian courts have thus far
interpreted this clause to mean that extradition of Jordanian
citizens under the bilateral extradition treaty is
unconstitutional. Even with Parliamentary approval, the GOJ
may well have an uphill battle to convince Jordanian courts
to extradite to the U.S. criminals other than third-country
nationals.
BERRY