SAMIR AL-RIFAI APPOINTED ROYAL COURT MINISTER

UNCLAS AMMAN 007297

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR JO
SUBJECT: SAMIR AL-RIFAI APPOINTED ROYAL COURT MINISTER



1. (U) King Abdallah appointed Royal Court Secretary
General Samir Zeid al-Rifai to succeed Faisal al-Fayez as
Minister of the Royal Court on November 4. Rifai is son of
Zeid al-Rifai, speaker of the Upper House of Parliament and
former Prime Minister. Rifai, 37, has worked in the Royal
Court since 1988. Most recently, Rifai was in charge of the
administrative and financial section of the Palace, where he
supervised the Palace budget, support, and hiring.


2. (U) As Minister, Rifai will handle political issues,
communications between the King and the ministries, and
supervise some administrative affairs of the Royal Court.


3. (U) Rifai holds a BA in political science and Middle
Eastern studies from Harvard University and an MA in
international relations from Cambridge University. He is
married with three children. The Rifai family moved from
British-mandated Palestine to Amman in the early 1920s, and
for three generations its members have served in governments
at high levels and in close proximity to Jordan's kings.
GNEHM