JORDANIAN ISLAMIC ACTION FRONT KEEPS "MODERATE"

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001451 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2014 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KISL KPAL JO SUBJECT: JORDANIAN ISLAMIC ACTION FRONT KEEPS "MODERATE" LEADERSHIP REF: A. AMMAN 00304 ¶B. 03 AMMAN 07909 Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for Reasons 1.5 (b),(d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) The Shura Council of the Jordanian Islamic Action Front (IAF),the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, on February 21 reelected current Secretary General Hamzeh Mansour for another two-year tenure. In the IAF's 12-member Executive Committee, the Council replaced only four members with "moderates" securing all but one of its seats. The Shura Council issued a statement opposing proposed price increases, calling for increased public freedoms, and rejecting changes to Jordan's educational curricula promoting human rights. End summary. -------------- VOTING FOR THE STATUS QUO -------------- ¶2. (U) On February 21, the IAF "Shura Council" (the organization's highest policy making body) elected the IAF's Secretary General and its Executive Committee. After a SIPDIS several hour voting session, the 96 members present from the 120-member Council selected current Secretary General Hamzeh Mansour for another two year term. Mansour is a former executive bureau member of the Muslim Brotherhood and a veteran politician. He is the third person to serve two consecutive terms as Secretary General (the maximum allowed by IAF by-laws) after current Shura Council leader Abdul Latif Arabiyat and Ishaq Farhan. The Council also selected four new individuals for the 12-member Executive Committee (which also has a two year term),while reelecting eight current committee members. ¶3. (C) According to press reports and observers, "moderate" IAF members secured all but one seat in the Executive Committee. This reflects the outcome of the 2002 elections for the IAF Shura Council, wherein self-described moderates won a decisive victory while conservatives managed to garner only 14 seats in the four-year-term council. The moderate leadership paved the way for the organization's participation in the June 2003 parliamentary elections following a years-long boycott and subsequent strained ties with the government. The IAF is easily the most influential political grouping out of 30 registered political parties in Jordan and the only one to have members elected to Parliament. Although the IAF is tight-lipped about the number of its members, independent sources put it at roughly 4,000. -------------- FAMILIAR STRAINS -------------- ¶4. (U) In his opening remarks, Arabiyat warned that Jordan was currently passing through a "dangerous stage," being sandwiched between the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and expressed support for those fighting against these occupying forces. The Shura Council later issued a statement denouncing corruption and flatly rejecting proposed hikes in the prices of basic commodities and oil derivatives. It further demanded greater public freedoms and enhanced democratic measures. The Shura Council statement also called on the government to halt changes planned for the country's school curricula to include new human rights concepts (see ref a). The IAF warned that these changes, which "aim to please U.S.-Zionist demands," would harm the country's cultural identity. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶5. (C) The results of the IAF internal elections indicate that the organization most likely is not planning major changes in direction or strategy in the near future. It also demonstrates the continued weakness of hard-liners within the IAF who reject any accommodation with the government. The reelection of Mansour as Secretary General is not surprising as he is a popular figure on the grassroots level and is known as a wily tactician who is able to build consensus among the party's ranks. Although not currently a member of Parliament, he nevertheless plays a major role in directing IAF positions in the Lower House, as evidenced by his participation in IAF negotiations with other blocs to choose the Lower House Speaker (see ref b). Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ or through the Department of State's SIPRNET site. GNEHM