PROPOSED NEW UNSC RESOLUTION COULD HELP JORDAN DO

S E C R E T AMMAN 005765 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2013 TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS IZ JO UNSC SUBJECT: PROPOSED NEW UNSC RESOLUTION COULD HELP JORDAN DO MORE FOR IRAQ REF: STATE 256598 Classified By: Amb. Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b)(d) ¶1. (C) The proposed new U.S. draft UN Security Council Resolution on Iraq contains several elements that will please the Jordanians. First, it asks that Iraqis come up with a timetable for transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis. Senior Jordanian officials have repeatedly encouraged the coalition to go public with a reasonable -- and achievable -- timetable for formation of an elected Iraqi government and full transfer of authority. Second, the UNSCR draft mandates a UN force and asks other nations to contribute. This could provide Jordan the international cover it needs to support a stabilization force in Iraq more actively and directly. ¶2. (S) We believe that a new resolution as outlined in ref would go a long way toward addressing Jordan's domestic political complexities should it commit police or military forces for Iraq. The resolution would give a multinational force "international legitimacy" in the eyes of most Jordanians, and there would likely be less strident domestic objection to a Jordanian contribution. ¶3. (S) COMMENT: There is still considerable latent resentment in Jordan over the presence of foreign "occupiers" in Iraq, and many Jordanians -- including Islamist members of Parliament -- could accuse the GOJ of supporting "occupation" by contributing troops to a UN force. Given these and broader Arab reservations, we believe that it will be difficult for the King to participate overtly in a UN force without other Arab participation. That said, we note that the deployment of a Jordanian Armed Forces field hospital in Falluja has drawn little domestic criticism. ¶4. (U) CPA Baghdad minimize considered. GNEHM