JORDAN - NEW FM ON ARTICLE 98

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 008866 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2014 TAGS: PREL MARR IZ JO SUBJECT: JORDAN - NEW FM ON ARTICLE 98 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. David Hale, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) During an introductory call October 27 on newly-appointed Foreign Minister Hani Al-Mulki, Charge raised the high priority the USG places on finalizing an Article 98 agreement. Charge noted that the GOJ had been considering A/S Bloomfield's letter, and expressed his view that the two governments were very close to agreement. ¶2. (C) Al-Mulki confessed that he was aware of the letter but had not had time to "digest" it since his appointment. He offered to meet again with Charge after returning from Egypt on/about November 7, and to provide an informed response. ¶3. (C) In a subsequent meeting, Ali Al-Ayed, director of the minister's private office, told Charge that Al-Mulki might consider re-engaging with the USG on this issue through either the Jordanian embassy in Washington, or through Jordanian UN PermRep Prince Zaid Bin Ra'ad, rather than doing so personally. Zaid recently resigned as President of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court, which may possibly make him personally more flexible on the draft text than he has been to date. HALE