JORDAN TERMS ISRAELI RELEASE OF 10 PRISONERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 007690

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2013
TAGS: PGOV PTER IS JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN TERMS ISRAELI RELEASE OF 10 PRISONERS
"POSITIVE"; NEGOTIATIONS TO CONTINUE

REF: A. AMMAN 7657 (NOTAL)


B. AMMAN 7402

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


1. (U) Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher told the
press that the Israeli cabinet decision on November 23 to
release ten Jordanian prisoners as part of an Eid al-Fitr
gesture was a "positive development," but that the GOJ would
continue to work towards the release of all Jordanians in
Israeli custody. Muasher said his Israeli counterpart Silvan
Shalom informed him of the decision. The prisoners are
expected to arrive in Jordan on November 25, the first day of
the Feast marking the end of Ramadan.


2. (U) "The release came as a response to the efforts
exerted by His Majesty King Abdullah and the government in
this regard," Muasher said in a press statement, stressing
"at the same time that this is the first group of prisoners
who will be released." He added: "We will continue our
efforts to release the remaining prisoners, and following Eid
al-Fitr there will be intensive negotiations to secure their
release."


3. (U) Muasher did not reveal the identities of the ten
prisoners, but press reports suggest four were being held for
"security reasons," (two on weapons and/or explosives charges
and two for "anti-Israeli activities.") The other six were
being held for illegal entry into Israel.


4. (U) Meanwhile, in a scathing lead editorial, the
normally subdued, pro-government English-language Jordan
Times slammed the Israeli decision, charging that "to most
Jordanians, Sharon's gesture is more a humiliation and a
provocation, than anything else." The editorial, titled
"With Friends Like These," noted that "adding insult to
injury, the right-wing Sharon government almost appears more
responsive and at ease in negotiations with Hizballah than
with a sovereign country with which it has a peace treaty."

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COMMENT
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5. (C) This is a small but unsatisfactory victory for
Muasher who has taken the lead in contentious prisoner
release negotiations with Israel (ref A notal). We suspect
GOJ officials' true feelings are more in line with the Jordan
Times misleading editorial than Muasher's public statements.
What Muasher really wanted and what we expect he will keep
pushing on is the release the four Jordanians arrested before
the 1994 Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty (reftel B).

Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at
http://www.state.sgov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through
the Department of State's SIPRNET home page.
GNEHM