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)

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SUMMARY
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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.

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GOVERNMENT CHEERLEADER
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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."

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NO RUSH TOWARDS DEMOCRACY
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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.

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FEELING THE FINANCIAL PINCH
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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.

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COMMENT
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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