KING SAYS MINOR CABINET RESHUFFLE SOON, NEW

S E C R E T AMMAN 004332

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2013
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR JO
SUBJECT: KING SAYS MINOR CABINET RESHUFFLE SOON, NEW
GOVERNMENT IN THE FALL

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

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SMALL CABINET RESHUFFLE IN THE WORKS
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1. (S) King Abdullah told the Ambassador July 13 that he
has been working with Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb on the
details of a small cabinet reshuffle to be announced in the
next few days. The King said that Abul Ragheb had wanted to
change 5-6 ministers, but the King told him to limit it to
2-3. Although Abul Ragheb had wanted to change some of the
"active" ministers -- including Minister of Planning Bassam
Awadallah -- the King commented that all of the progressive
ministers with which the U.S. is used to deal would remain in
the new cabinet. "I cannot give Bassam an award for
organizing the WEF (World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea),
then scrap him as minister." The King singled out Deputy PM
and Minister of Justice Faris Nabulsi as a cabinet member who
is "tired and wants to leave" the government.

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BUT NO NEW PM UNTIL THE FALL
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2. (S) The King said he had no intention of changing PM at
this juncture, but would wait until the convening of the
regular session of Parliament (likely in October, but could
be as late as December) before nominating a new government.
The King said he anticipated that any new ministers appointed
now would remain in a new government in the fall. He
understands the importance of continuity in implementing
reform and government policy.

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GOJ MAY COME UNDER SOME FIRE FROM NEW PARLIAMENT
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3. (C) With the opening of Parliament this week, we expect
to see calls for changes of individual ministers. One
informed Jordanian told the Ambassador July 13 that Planning
Minster Awadallah, ITC Minister Zo'bi, Education Minister
Touqan, Health Minister Maani, and Municipal and Rural
Affairs Minister Tubaishat would likely receive the most
criticism. Parliamentary Speaker candidate Saad Hayel Srour
told PolCouns last week that, despite what he expected would
be a large number of ad hominem attacks on individual
ministers during the first few weeks of Parliament -- and
especially if the PM submits the government to the Parliament
for a vote of confidence -- he is certain that, at the end of
the day, the government would receive 70 plus votes of
confidence out of 110.

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COMMENT
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4. (S) The King implied, but did not state definitively,
that he would replace Abul Ragheb as PM in the fall. Abul
Ragheb himself seems to have been trying to engineer a more
extensive government reshuffle now and put more of his people
in place to make it more difficult for the King to appoint a
new PM in the fall.
GNEHM