AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON NEW JORDANIAN MINISTER FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 007179 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2013 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ECON JO SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON NEW JORDANIAN MINISTER FOR MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS: GRADUAL REFORM, BUDGET PROBLEMS REF: AMMAN 04891 Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for Reasons 1.5 (B,D) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Minister for Municipal Affairs Armal Farhan praised new Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez and his cabinet, as well as King Abdullah's direction of the new government. Although the King is "serious" about political development, Farhan said that democratic reforms must be "gradual" and that the government will not propose any changes to the provisional Municipal Elections Law. Farhan also lamented her ministry's lack of financial resources. End summary. -------------- GOVERNMENT CHEERLEADER -------------- ¶2. (C) Ambassador and PolOff made a courtesy call November 2 on new Minister for Municipal Affairs, Armal Farhan. Farhan expressed much enthusiasm for the new government, saying that the cabinet's retreat with King Abdullah in Aqaba had been "fantastic" and that the King had demonstrated "a clear mind and strategy" regarding his vision for Jordan. Farhan also characterized the new cadre of ministers as "sharp and fast," while calling Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez a "grand person" who is "gracious and honest." -------------- NO RUSH TOWARDS DEMOCRACY -------------- ¶3. (C) When asked about the King's plans for political development, Farhan responded that the King was "serious" about moving towards greater democracy. Farhan cautioned, however, that democratic reforms had to be "gradual." She also said that in her personal view, democratization had to come after economic development. ¶4. (C) Farhan further stated that the new government did not currently plan to abandon or change the provisional Municipal Elections Law which provides for the appointment, rather than direct election, of all mayors and half the members of municipal councils (see reftel). Farhan said that the appointees were a well-qualified group and would help improve the efficiency and responsiveness of local governments. -------------- FEELING THE FINANCIAL PINCH -------------- ¶5. (C) Regarding her work priorities, Farhan opined that she wanted to move the Ministry of Municipal Affairs beyond merely providing services to playing more of an instrumental role in promoting economic and social development in the country. To do this, however, requires additional money. Farhan lamented that presently she did not even have sufficient funds to pay all the salaries and bonuses of ministry employees for the month of Ramadan. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) Farhan is unquestionably excited about her inclusion in the new government, despite the challenges that lie ahead of her. Perhaps reflecting her many years as head of the business faculty at the University of Jordan, Farhan appears much more focused on the economics of municipal governance than in encouraging greater citizen involvement in local affairs. Visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman or access the site through the State Department's SIPRNET home page. GNEHM