JORDAN'S ISLAMISTS DEMAND GOJ CUT TIES TO IIG

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 009350 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC KISL IZ JO SUBJECT: JORDAN'S ISLAMISTS DEMAND GOJ CUT TIES TO IIG REF: A. AMMAN 07752 ¶B. AMMAN 09278 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) Combat in Fallujah has prompted Jordan's Islamic Action Front to step up its public rhetoric against the U.S. effort in Iraq, this time calling on the Jordanian government to sever its ties to the Iraqi Interim Government. The GOJ publicly expressed concern that the security situation would negatively impact the Iraq elections. Meanwhile, FM Mulki said he expected some insurgents might try to flee to Jordan. The IAF's demands will not have an impact on the GOJ's support for the Iraqi leadership, but the message resonates with ordinary Jordanians incensed by the perceived U.S. "assault" on Fallujah. End Summary. -------------- IAF DEMANDS JORDAN SEVERE TIES TO IIG -------------- ¶2. (U) In a letter to the Prime Minister carried in local press on November 21, the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Action Front (IAF),demanded that the GOJ cease all contact with the Iraqi Interim Government (IIG). According to IAF Secretary General Hamza Mansour, it is incumbent on the GOJ to protest "the U.S. war of extermination and destruction in al-Fallujah, which is taking place with the blessings of the interim government." He described the IIG "as hostile to the Iraqi people and clashing with the feelings of the Jordanian people and the Arab and Muslim nation," adding that "maintaining contacts with this government means supporting its policy and bestowing legitimacy on its crimes." ¶3. (U) The IAF's anti-U.S. rhetoric was particularly strong: "The destruction of al-Fallujah by the Bush administration is a crime of war and the Nazis were tried and executed for perpetrating similar crimes." In a veiled reference to the GOJ, the IAF called on Arab countries "that cover up for these crimes" to "realize the seriousness of what is taking place." ¶4. (U) The IAF's diatribe is the latest in an increasingly virulent string of verbal attacks on U.S. regional policies, and increasingly on the Jordanian government, for supporting them. In April, the IAF's Scholars Committee issued a "fatwa" demanding followers "oppose" the U.S. administration for its "aggression against the Palestinian and Iraqi people." Several months later, the same committee issued a fatwa declaring that joining the Iraqi military or police was a "sin against God," as was providing food or supplies to American forces in Iraq, and called for "jihad" in Iraq (ref a). In October, the IAF again urged Iraqi clerics to lead the Iraqi people to rid their "of the filth of the occupation" through jihad. -------------- MILITANTS FLEEING TO JORDAN? -------------- ¶5. (U) GOJ spokesperson Asma Khader did not comment on the IAF statement during her regular press conference, but she did express the government's concern about the poor security situation and its potential negative impact on elections scheduled for January. Foreign Minister Mulki is attending the Sharm al-Sheikh meeting on Iraq, and coming to consensus on ways to improve the security situation is a major priority for the Jordanians. ¶6. (U) Meanwhile, in response to press remarks by Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari on November 22 that some of the insurgents may have escaped the Fallujah operation and found refuge in Jordan or Syria, FM Mulki told reporters that he was not aware that any had entered Jordan, but expected that some would try. "When you attack a bees' nest, the bees try to get everywhere. Any explosion in Iraq will allow people to flee to neighboring countries and this will bring unrest, that is why we have a vested interest in making sure that things settle down," he said. -------------- IAF MESSAGE RESONATES WITH JORDANIANS -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The IAF's letter will not alter the GOJ's support for the IIG. However, the IAF's statements resonate with ordinary Jordanians, riveted and angered by images of violence from Fallujah in recent weeks. The recent broadcast of video depicting a U.S. solider killing a wounded Iraqi in a mosque in particular seems to have struck a nerve, and local press commentary on the Fallujah situation has been particularly harsh (ref b). During a lecture on American foreign policy and the U.S. election at Muta University in the southern Jordanian town of Karak, a student declared to PAO: "You have no idea how delighted we are to see American soldiers being killed in Iraq, and we are hoping for American defeat and expulsion there." With that, the audience of more than 300 students erupted into raucous applause. ¶8. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at http://www.state.sgov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through the Department of State's SIPRNET home page. HALE