Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03AMMAN7232
2003-11-05 08:15:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

JORDANIAN "PEACE CAMP" FOCUSES ON POSITIVE ASPECTS

Tags:  PREL PGOV KPAL IS JO 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007232 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2013
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL IS JO
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN "PEACE CAMP" FOCUSES ON POSITIVE ASPECTS
OF "GENEVA ACCORD"

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (B,D)

-------
SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007232

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2013
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL IS JO
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN "PEACE CAMP" FOCUSES ON POSITIVE ASPECTS
OF "GENEVA ACCORD"

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (B,D)

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) Members of Jordan's disparate "peace camp" say that
the unofficial "Geneva Accord" has not gotten the attention
it deserves from U.S. and Arab leaders and hope that European
support for continued talks will generate momentum to restart
substantive negotiations. MFA officials describe the accord
as a serious and important effort, but say the negotiators'
failure to "market" the plan at the outset damaged its
potential impact and gave the oppositionists, particularly in
Israel, the upper hand. The GOJ is trying to convince a
disillusioned public that Jordan remains engaged in the
conflict, at a time when many Jordanians believe -- and fear
-- that the United States is withdrawing from the peace
process. The GOJ is struggling to come up with fresh ideas
to move the process forward. End Summary.

-------------- --------------
JORDANIAN "PEACE CAMP" HIGHLIGHTS MERITS OF GENEVA ACCORD
-------------- --------------


2. (C) Members of Jordan's disparate and largely muted
"peace camp" believe that the unofficial "Geneva Accord" --
announced on October 13 after meetings at a Jordanian Dead
Sea resort -- merits consideration as a viable platform to
reinvigorate debate about a final settlement to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jordan University professor
Mohammad Khair Mustafa says the accord complements the
roadmap and should not be considered its replacement, and
Fatah member Ghazi al-Saadi points to the accord's positive
reception in Egypt and European capitals as evidence of its
merit.


3. (C) Dr. Ibrahim Badran, chair of the international
relations Department at Jordan's Philadelphia University,
says the accord demonstrates that there are people on both
sides willing to talk. He said that proper "marketing" of
its controversial parts, such as the Palestinians' "right of
return," could win over potential critics, particularly in
the refugee community. According to Dr. Maher Waked of the
Amman Center for Peace and Development, negotiations for a
future Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip --

even unofficial -- helps allay fears among Jordanians that
the current Israeli government is quietly committed to the
idea of "transferring" Palestinians to Jordan.


4. (C) Highlighting European support for the agreement, Dr.
Badran said that public and official U.S. and Arab
expressions of support for the negotiations would go a long
way to revitalize the stymied peace movements in both Israel
and the Arab world. Dr. Mustafa said that Jordanians barely
noticed the minimal press coverage of the accord, but those
who did so see Sharon's vehement attacks against the accord
as evidence that the agreement must be a good thing.

-------------- --------------
MFA OFFICIALS CRITICIZE POOR "MARKETING" OF THE ACCORD
-------------- --------------


5. (C) The MFA publicly denied any involvement in the Dead
Sea meetings and officials there told us that their role was
limited to hosting the meetings and observing the sessions.
They criticized the negotiators for not securing outside
support for the plan before it was announced. Foreign
Minister Muasher, who attended some of the meetings, told the
Ambassador that none of the regional states, including
Jordan, had been consulted about the substance of the
agreement despite their inherent interest in certain issues,
particularly borders and refugees. He criticized the failure
of the negotiators to brief potential supporters of the
effort -- including U.S. officials -- before the accord was
publicized on October 13. He said the negotiators had lost
an opportunity to generate positive public feedback, and
instead gave the opposition, particularly in Israel, an
opportunity to fill the vacuum.

-------------- --------------
MEANWHILE, GOJ TOUTS ITS INVOLVEMENT TO A SKEPTICAL PUBLIC
-------------- --------------


6. (C) At the same time, Jordanian officials are trying to
convince a disillusioned public that it remains productively
engaged in the peace process. During his first press
conference since his reappointment to Fayez's cabinet,
Foreign Minister Muasher on October 28 announced that the
King's visit to Washington in December will focus
specifically on "helping the Palestinians find a way out of
the crisis." He termed the roadmap as the "only alternative"
for peace, and said Jordan will receive a Palestinian
delegation in Amman in the next few days to discuss the
moribund peace process in advance of the King's trip. He
berated Israel's "insecure wall," saying that it threatens
the viability of a future Palestinian state. Following on
the King's meeting with Palestinian PM Ahmad Qureia in Aqaba
on October 23, MFA official Ashraf Zeitoon confirmed to
Poloff that the GOJ will host a lower level Palestinian
delegation in the next few days, with the aim of projecting
the appearance of engagement and activity.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


7. (C) Jordanians -- in and out of the government -- are
concerned by evidence of U.S. disengagement from the peace
process, and are grasping at any positive alternatives that
present themselves. So, even if the text of the accord is
largely irrelevant to the diplomatic process, it is likely to
continue to gain modest attention in Jordan, including from a
government that feels highly exposed any time the peace
process is in peril.
GNEHM