JORDAN TO HOST SECOND MEETING WITH GENEVA ACCORD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006575

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL IS JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN TO HOST SECOND MEETING WITH GENEVA ACCORD
SUPPORTERS

REF: A. AMMAN 6545


B. 03 AMMAN 8122

C. 03 AMMAN 7232

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


1. (C) Summary: Palestinian and Israeli supporters of the
Geneva Accord will convene in Jordan August 5-6 in the hopes
of gaining momentum for their unofficial peace initiative.
Foreign Minister Muasher will speak at the opening of the
meeting, and Jordanian officials say they hope the effort
will help revive the stalled peace process. Especially
important to the GOJ, according to MFA officials, is ensuring
that Jordan's interests are not sidelined, particularly on
the right of return. Commenting on the controversy
surrounding the King's remarks to al-Arabiya about the
Palestinian leadership, an MFA official noted that the King's
message is consistent with longstanding views often expressed
in private to U.S. and other officials. The GOJ feels that
now is the time to address these important concerns publicly,
particularly at this critical stage in the conflict. End
Summary.

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GENEVA ACCORD SUPPORTERS TO CONVENE AT THE DEAD SEA
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2. (C) Jordan will host a weekend retreat at the Dead Sea
beginning August 5 with notable Israeli and Palestinian
supporters of the Geneva Accord. Foreign Minister Muasher
will address the gathering at the outset, according to MFA
official Ashraf Zeitoon. The schedule will be structured
similarly to the event the GOJ hosted in October 2003 to
unofficially unveil the Accord (ref C),and MFA officials may
moderate some of the panel discussions. Zeitoon said the
effort is designed to help breathe new life in the stymied
peace process and build momentum that can be carried back to
the participants' respective communities. He added that
Yossi Beilin will attend the meeting in addition to a
wide-cross section of Palestinian principals and grassroots
supporters.


3. (C) Zeitoon explained the GOJ agreed to host the meeting
because Jordan has an important role to play in the peace
process and is committed to exerting all efforts to revive
it. Referring to the numerous public statements by GOJ
officials about the festering Palestinian-Israeli crisis this
week, including the King's al-Arabiya interview (ref A) and
FonMin Muasher's interview with Haartez (during which he
emphasized Israel's security barrier endangered Jordan's
national security),Zeitoon noted that Jordan wants to drive
home the message that significant attention must be given to
the situation, adding that the Palestinian-Israeli crisis is
at a critical stage. He emphasized that Jordanian is
directly and intimately affected by developments in the
Palestinian arena, and the GOJ refuses to allow Jordan's
interests to be sidelined, particularly when it comes to
determining the final status of Palestinian refugees. The
Palestinians have "hijacked" the refugee issue for too long,
he added.

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MFA: KING'S MESSAGE REFLECTS LONG-HELD VIEWS
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4. (C) Regarding the controversy surrounding the King's
al-Arabiya's interview, Zeitoon said that he and other
colleagues at the MFA were taken aback by the initial press
reports because they had spent considerable time writing the
talking points for the interview. Upon reviewing the full
transcript of the King's comments, he said: "I was relieved
to find it was the press that was confused, and it wasn't our
talking points that were the problem!" He added: "This is
not a new message, it is something we have been saying in
private for months -- to you, to the UN, to the EU countries.
It is time we took the message public; it is important and
it needs to be said."

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COMMENT
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5. (C) Jordan's anti-normalizers -- including the
Professional Associations and the Muslim Brotherhood --
geared up in December 2003 to protest the Geneva Accord when
it was officially unveiled in Switzerland, mainly because
they believed it intended to compromise the Palestinians'
right of return (ref B). At that time, the GOJ finally broke
its silence and publicly voiced support for the initiative.
Given the current political climate in Jordan, we expect the
opposition to pick up where they left off last year.

Visit Embassy Amman's classified website at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/
or access the site through the State Department's SIPRNET
home page.
HALE