NODEL WEXLER MEETING WITH KING ABDULLAH

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 009097

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2014
TAGS: PREL PTER KPAL IS IZ JO
SUBJECT: NODEL WEXLER MEETING WITH KING ABDULLAH

Classified By: CDA David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) In a November 8 meeting with NODEL Wexler, King
Abdullah advocated early Palestinian elections to replace
Yaser Arafat with a new generation of leaders. The King
urged that a new leadership be quickly empowered to improve
socio-economic conditions to bolster its legitimacy among the
Palestinian people. On Iraq, the King was hopeful that
elections could be held in January, but said that achieving
positive election results was more important than timing.
End Summary.

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POST-ARAFAT LEADERSHIP
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2. (C) King Abdullah, along with Minister of Planning
Awadallah and Deputy Prime Minister/Acting Foreign Minister
Muasher, met with the members of NODEL Wexler on November 8.
The King said that achieving progress on the
Palestinian-Israeli front was vital. He questioned whether
Arafat's health would allow him to be a viable leader, even
if Arafat pulled through his current medical crisis.
According to the King, Egyptian President Mubarak believed
that Arafat was the only Palestinian with the stature needed
to sign and implement a peace agreement. The King differed
with this assessment; he said Arafat had proven incapable of
signing a deal. The Palestinians needed to turn now to a new
generation of leaders. Whether Arafat died or lingered on,
the King advocated early Palestinian elections to help get a
stronger government and a legitimate Prime Minister in place.



3. (C) Asked what the U.S. could do to help a new
Palestinian leadership, the King said "mistakes" leading to
the resignation of former Palestinian PM Abu Mazen -- i.e.,
"lack of adequate support" at the beginning of his tenure and
Israel's "continual changing of the goal posts" for his
expected performance -- had to be avoided. As soon as the
new leadership emerged, the King advised, it must be
empowered by providing it the means to have an impact on the
socio-economic level. The Palestinian people needed to see
right away how they would benefit from a new team.

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IRAQ
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4. (C) King Abdullah said he was hopeful that the January
time-table for Iraqi elections could be met. However, if
security conditions did not improve, he stated that a brief
delay, such as occurred this summer in holding a national
conference to choose the interim National Council, might be
advisable to ensure the desired results. Holding proper
elections on a national level and achieving a positive
outcome was more important than election timing, expressed
the King. The fact that Ayatollah SISTANI, at the urging of
Iran, wanted early elections had to be seen as a warning
sign. Royal Court Minister Samir Rifai added that
transitioning from a state of emergency directly to elections
might be "too fast."


5. (C) The King said that if Iraqi security forces are to
allow U.S. forces to re-deploy, they must be given longer,
more flexible training courses. He spoke of the damage of
de-Baathification and claimed that it had sidelined the
entire intelligentsia and professional classes, including
doctors and surgeons. The King hoped that ways could be
found to "bring back" these people, especially the mature
core of the military. While the IIG should identify and
exclude "the bad guys," the rest needed to be drawn back in.


6. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.
HALE