JORDANIAN VIEWS ON THE OSCE AND ITS MEDITERRANEAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 006917

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2013
TAGS: PREL JO OSCE
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN VIEWS ON THE OSCE AND ITS MEDITERRANEAN
PARTNERS

Classified By: DCM David Hale for reason 1.5 (d)


1. SUMMARY: In a bilateral meeting at the October 20-21 Aqaba
OSCE seminar, U.S. and Jordanian officials discussed the
Jordanian vision for the OSCE,s six Mediterranean Partners
for Cooperation. While upbeat on OSCE principles and the
partners, continued participation with the OSCE, the
Jordanians were quick to point out the need for progress on
the Middle East peace process first. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) Then Jordanian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Shaher Bak, Jordanian Ambassador to Austria Muhyieddeen Touq,
USOSCE Ambassador Stephan Minikes and USOSCE and Embassy
Amman poloffs met October 20 on the margins of the Aqaba OSCE
Mediterranean Seminar. Minister Bak, who (before the recent
government change) handled foreign policy issues and projects
as designated by FM Muasher, was the ranking Jordanian
delegation member. Algeria, Israel, and Morocco were
represented at the Seminar by their Vienna-resident
ambassadors, and Egypt sent an MFA representative. The
substance of the seminar will be reported septel by USOSCE.


3. (C) According to Bak, Jordan would "love to see a
Helsinki-like process" for the region. In order to be
meaningful, a Helsinki Accord-type document for the Middle
East would need to include all the countries of the region,
including Turkey and Iran, and would require the U.S. and
Western Europe to act as parties or partners to the
agreement. Despite the low level of participation from
Mediterranean partner states, he was pleased to have an Arab
League observer in attendance. He stated that Jordan's
decision to host the seminar was a gesture meant to maintain
momentum in the OSCE-partner relationship and among the
partners themselves, but Bak believed that it accomplished
less than if the U.S. or the U.N. had called a similar
meeting.


3. (C) Amb. Touq assessed four of the five Mediterranean
partners (not including Algeria, though he thought they could
be easily convinced to do so) as willing to sign a Helsinki
Accord-like document. He stated that the parallel idea of
elevating the Mediterranean partners, status within the OSCE
was gaining consensus. He mentioned that the partners were
close to agreement on establishing a regional conflict
prevention center, modeled on OSCE efforts, and that both the
partners, and the OSCE's participation would be needed to do
so.


4. (C) Bak mentioned repeatedly that the current state of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict precludes advancement of an
OSCE-based agenda in the region. He expressed the view that
the past possibility of seeing Middle Eastern states sign a
Helsinki Accord-like document was now only a dream.
Consequently, those states which do not have peace treaties
with Israel cannot be expected to cooperate with Israel under
present circumstances, he said, until there is political
progress in ending the violence and resuming peace talks.


5. (U) This message was coordinated with USOSCE.
GNEHM