C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 001017

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2014
TAGS: PREL KPAL IS JO ICJ
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON JORDAN'S SUBMISSION TO THE ICJ CASE ON
ISRAEL'S SEPARATION BARRIER


Classified By: DCM David Hale for reasons 1.5 (b) (d)


1. (C) MFA Legal Department head Samer Naber told PolCouns
and PolOff February 9 that Jordan has not yet decided whether
it will make an oral presentation to the International Court
of Justice (ICJ) on the Israeli security barrier.
Nevertheless, it will likely request from the court
permission to give an oral statement before the February 13
deadline to preserve its right to make an oral argument
should it choose to do so. Should Jordan give an oral
argument, Naber said that he, Jordanian Permanent
Representative to the UN Prince Zaid bin Raad, the Jordanian
UN Mission Legal Advisor, and a prominent British attorney
named Sir Arthur Watts would collaborate. Naber commented
that he had spent a great deal of time reviewing the legal
briefs submitted in the ICJ case, and complimented both the
U.S. and Israeli submissions as complete and well presented.
He said the good briefs from the U.S. and Israel had made him
work harder to refine Jordan's legal brief.

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http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/

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home page.
GNEHM