JORDAN PUBLISHES GIST OF KING'S LETTER TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002754 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/12/2014 TAGS: PREL KPAL IS JO SUBJECT: JORDAN PUBLISHES GIST OF KING'S LETTER TO PRESIDENT, LAYS DOWN PUBLIC MARKER ON GAZA WITHDRAWAL REF: AMMAN 2690 (NOTAL) Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b) (d) ¶1. (U) The semi-official Arabic-language daily al-Ra'i on April 12 summarized a letter from King Abdullah to President Bush stating Jordan's support for the President's vision of a two-state solution as the only acceptable means for ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and achieving stability in the region. According to the summary of the letter, King Abdullah emphasized that the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza must be part of the roadmap, not a substitute for it. He also called for a Security Council resolution to support establishment of an independent Palestinian state beside Israel. Finally, the King expressed his hope that the international community can agree upon a plan to help the Palestinians rebuild their institutions. He added that Jordan will do its utmost to support Palestinian efforts to rebuild their capabilities to enable them to assume effective control of Gaza after the Israeli withdrawal. ¶2. (C) The press synopsis mirrors, but does not repeat verbatim, the actual letter, a copy of which the Palace provided to the Ambassador on April 8 (ref). Of note, the press summary does not mention King Abdullah's concerns about Israel's requests for U.S. assurances on border demarcation and refugee issues, as conveyed in the letter. The Jordanians did not inform us in advance that they intended to share the substance of this letter with the press. We view it as an attempt by the GOJ to lay down a marker with its public on this issue in advance of King Abdullah's visit to Washington. 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