GOJ SPOKESPERSON TALKS ENTHUSIASTICALLY ABOUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007428

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2013
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM JO
SUBJECT: GOJ SPOKESPERSON TALKS ENTHUSIASTICALLY ABOUT
HUMAN RIGHTS AND PRESS FREEDOM, BUT HAS NO CONCRETE PLAN


Classified By: Amb. Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b) (d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) An enthusiastic Asma Khader, the new government
Spokesperson, outlined for the Ambassador her intent to use
her position in the cabinet to shape GOJ policies to support
greater press freedom, respect for human and women's rights,
and development of NGOs. Khader, a lawyer and activist from
the NGO community, also emphasized the need for NGOs and
citizens to have access to information about government goals
and performance. However, she presented no concrete plan to
achieve her goals, and -- with no staff to support her --
will have few resources to encourage reform. END SUMMARY.

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AN ACTIVIST TURNED CABINET MEMBER
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2. (C) New GOJ spokesperson, Asma Khader, told the
Ambassador and PolCouns November 12 that she was very proud
to be a part of the new government, which she described as
having "the highest percentage of women ever in the region,
and in non-traditional positions as well." Coming out of the
human and women's rights NGO community, she enthusiastically
described her mission as trying to increase "freedom of
access to the media and modern knowledge." She said she also
hopes to increase citizen involvement in political life and
government decision-making, and to demonstrate to women that
they can play roles outside of the traditional tribal and
family structure. She noted, however, that as part of a
government, she would have certain "restraints" on her
activism. She described her ministerial appointment as an
opportunity to influence the government's program on women's
and children's issues and human rights, noting that senior
royal family members have always accepted these principles
and provided support.

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OPENING UP THE MEDIA -- SLOWLY
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3. (C) Khader said she wants to strengthen the independence
of the media and media-associated institutions like the
Higher Council for Media. "I hope this government will
encourage freedom of the press," she said. One way to do
this, she suggested, is to challenge the local press by
opening up to outside media. There are good Jordanian media
people, but they have tended to be hired away by other
regional media outlets -- such as Lebanon and Gulf-based
satellite TV stations. It may be necessary, Khader
suggested, to pay higher salaries and provide more
opportunities for training and professional development to
keep good media people in Jordan.

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TRANSPARENCY OF GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
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4. (C) Khader said that another of her chief goals would be
to promote "transparency" in government programs by making
information about government policies, goals, and statistics
available easily to NGOs and average citizens. This
transparency will permit Jordanians and interest groups to
evaluate the performance of the government against objective
standards, and suggest alternatives when necessary. The
King, she said, hopes to set up "a place" -- an office, web
site, or both -- where citizens can go and have their
questions answered.

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GOVERNMENT NEEDS NGO PRESSURE TO IMPROVE
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5. (C) Asked about her experience as an NGO leader, she
said that the Jordanian NGO community has for many years been
"caught between the government and opposition, and we were
beaten by both." The government, she said, routinely
discouraged large NGO gatherings, arguing to NGO event
organizers that they should invite "only 10, 20, or 30
people" to conferences and meetings. With these small
numbers, she said, it was hard to sustain the drive needed in
NGO work. The opposition (read Islamists) routinely attacked
NGOs for their Western sources of funding and liberal causes
such as women's and human rights. Moreover, NGOs in Jordan
have done little to help themselves, she argued, criticizing
the existing NGO community as poorly organized and meek. If
NGOs start to bring well thought out ideas to the government,
she promised, "I know the government will listen. Government
needs pressure groups to improve," she declared. She said
that she would push for a further liberalization of the NGO
law. "If you let NGOs do their work, they will not go to
extremes."


6. (C) She confirmed that the government has not yet
designated a locus in the cabinet for women's and human
rights policy, partially, she explained, because the
government intends to integrate these issues into the
programs of all ministries. (NOTE: Since the formation of
this new government, several human and women's rights
activists have mentioned to us their disappointment at the
lack of a clearly defined, ministerial level point of contact
for human rights and women's issues. END NOTE.)

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COMMENT
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7. (C) Khader was enthusiastic about the direction of the
new government, her new portfolio, and her potential for
influencing GOJ policies in a positive direction. At the
same time, she seems to realize that the "traditional" way of
doing business will be a real drag on her and the
government's reform agenda. While full of good intent,
Khader did not present a concrete plan for achieving her
goals -- in fact, she seemed to be thinking out loud during
much of the conversation. In addition, as a cabinet member
without a ministry to support her, she will have little more
than moral suasion to bring to bear in encouraging openness
in the policies of other ministries.

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