PM FAYEZ TELLS U/S GROSSMAN THAT REFORM IN REGION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001736

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2014
TAGS: PREL XF PHUM ECON JO
SUBJECT: PM FAYEZ TELLS U/S GROSSMAN THAT REFORM IN REGION
NEEDS STABILITY

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

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PARTICIPANTS
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1. (U) U.S.

U/S Marc Grossman
Amb. Edward W. Gnehm
NSC Staffer Dan Fried
NEA DAS Alina Romanowski
EUR A/DAS Glyn Davies
P Special Assistant Jonathan Carpenter
A/DCM Doug Silliman (notetaker)

JORDAN
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Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez
Special Assistant Majed Qatarneh
Media Advisor Ramadan Rawashdeh

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SUMMARY
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2. (C) U/S Grossman told PM Fayez March 3 that the U.S.
seeks ways to support reforms in the region, not impose a
plan from outside. Fayez said that Jordan backs regional
reform efforts and started its own political, economic, and
social reforms prior to September 11. He remained concerned
that GME was perceived as anti-Islam, and argued that
including Pakistan and Afghanistan strengthens this
impression. He argued strongly that the GME cannot ignore
the Arab-Israeli conflict, and that stability in the region
-- particularly in Saudi Arabia -- is important for the
success of reforms. He hoped that the AL summit in Tunis
could issue a general statement of support for reform, with
specifics to come next year. Grossman responded that the AL
should adopt basic reform principles now that can be
supported by the G-8, U.S.-EU, and NATO summits. END SUMMARY.

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FAYEZ: JORDAN SEEKS TO "ADAPT, NOT ADOPT"
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3. (C) On a stop in Amman March 3, U/S Marc Grossman
thanked PM Faisal al-Fayez for Jordan's support in Iraq and
on counterterrorism, and noted that he had had a good meeting
in Cairo with Jordanian FonMin Marwan Muasher (Cairo septel).
Fayez told Grossman that "all Arabs know that political
reform is coming" and is good for the region, but asked that
the U.S. "take it slowly." Fayez outlined Jordan's own
reform efforts which began long before 9/11, explaining that
Jordan has tried to "adapt, not adopt" best practices from
the West and elsewhere.

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FOCUS ON ARAB WORLD, NOT ISLAM
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4. (C) While generally supportive of reforms, Fayez said
the U.S. must try to ensure that the Greater Middle East
initiative (GME) is not perceived in the region as an "attack
against Islam." Including Pakistan and Afghanistan, he
argued, gives the impression that GME is aimed at Islam and
does not recognize Arab history and culture. Furthermore,
the GME cannot ignore the Arab-Israeli conflict, the core
issue for the entire region. Many Arabs do not trust U.S.
initiatives because of their opposition to U.S. policy on the
peace process.

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REFORM NEEDS STABILITY TO SUCCEED
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5. (C) The GME, Fayez argued, must take security into
consideration. Reform cannot flourish without political and
economic stability. In Jordan, the security services are
doing a good job of stopping terrorists who want to
destabilize the country. Elsewhere in the region, however,
reforming too fast -- especially in Saudi Arabia -- could
affect the stability of not only Saudi Arabia but Jordan and
the Gulf states. Saudi Arabia, he asserted, will take longer
to adopt political reforms since "50,000 imams in 50,000
mosques" have been socialized to "attack imperialism, Israel,
the West, and the U.S. every Friday." It will require a
similar socialization in tolerance and democracy before
reform in Saudi Arabia will take root.

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GENERAL ARAB STATEMENT NOW, DETAILS LATER
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6. (C) Fayez said he hoped the upcoming Tunis Arab League
(AL) summit would discuss seriously the question of reform.
However, he did not believe that Arab leaders had had enough
time to examine specific ideas or proposals, so the summit
would likely issue only a general statement of support for
reforms. More details would come from the next AL summit in

2005.
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GROSSMAN: "BEST IDEAS FROM WITHIN THE REGION"
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7. (C) U/S Grossman said the U.S. does not seek to impose
reforms on the Arab world, but rather to support reform
efforts in the region. "The best ideas will come from within
the region." The U.S., Grossman continued, is moving to
support reformers now because the conversation on reform has
already begun. The U.S. realizes at the same time that it
must not be seen as acting against Islam.


8. (C) The U.S. recognizes that each country is different,
and will reform at its own speed and in its own way. These
differences notwithstanding, the U.S. believes that there
must be a set of basic principles underlying these political,
economic, and social reforms. All of these reforms are
closely linked, and must move forward together to assure
success. The GME is not a substitute for a solution to the
Arab-Israeli conflict, and the U.S. will continue to work to
implement the President's vision of two states. However,
neither can the conflict be used as an excuse for not moving
ahead on needed reforms.

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TACTICS AND GEOGRAPHY
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9. (C) Grossman argued that the upcoming AL Summit should
aim to endorse a clear set of reform principles: it is not
enough merely to pledge to continue current reform efforts.
If the AL comes up with a set of principles, the G-8, U.S.-EU
and NATO Summits will be able to offer support for them. In
addition, the U.S. believes that reform efforts in
Afghanistan and Pakistani are crucial, but the U.S. can look
for ways to take regional sensitivities into account, perhaps
by talking about reform efforts "from the region" with the
region left undefined.


10. (U) U/S Grossman has cleared this message.

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.
HALE