MULKI REITERATES CALL FOR SYRIAN WITHDRAWAL;

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002093

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV LE SY JO
SUBJECT: MULKI REITERATES CALL FOR SYRIAN WITHDRAWAL;
JORDANIANS RIVETED BY LEBANON SITUATION

REF: A. STATE 39018


B. AMMAN 1829

C. AMMAN 1651

D. AMMAN 1945

Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Foreign Minister Mulki reiterated to Charge on March
13 Jordan's position that Syria must immediately implement
Security Council 1559 and withdraw completely from Lebanon
(refs). Reflecting an interview he gave to Kuwait News
Agency (KUNA) on March 12, Mulki said that the discussion
should focus on how the resolution should be carried out, not
whether it should be carried out. However, in comments to
KUNA carried by local papers, Mulki warned that the situation
has reached a critical phase, and that all parties must
proceed carefully so as to avoid violence. He said that the
"organized, quiet and voluntary pullout of troops" as well as
Syrian effort to voice a "positive position on Lebanon,"
would enable Syria "to avert any adverse impact." He also
called on "the opposition and other parties" to be "more
rational" and warned them against creating a situation
similar to the one that set the stage for the outbreak of
civil war in 1975.


2. (C) Reflecting the public's keen interest, local papers
continue to give unfolding developments in Lebanon and Syria
front-page coverage since Hariri's assassination. Political
analyst and journalist Ureib al-Rintawi commented to poloff
on March 7 that Syria is "feeling the heat," but warned that
the current situation is "delicate" and potentially
dangerous. According to Rintawi, the fact that Arab
countries, including Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have
taken a united position on Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon,
is an important and positive development, but given Lebanon's
history, special care must be taken to avoid a backslide into
violence.


3. (C) Rintawi said that his contacts had very recently
told him that the Syrian government has expelled HAMAS and
PIJ leaders from Damascus, closed their offices, and cut
their telephone lines; supposedly HAMAS leader Khalid Mish'al
has departed for Qatar while Ramadan Shallah has gone to
Beirut. Rintawi stated positive momentum in the peace
process is working against the resistance groups, and their
sponsors (Syria and Iran) are finding themselves increasingly
isolated. He claimed the Jordanians have a role to play in
exploiting the current situation to drive wedges between
hard-liners and moderates within HAMAS in particular. Noting
that some senior HAMAS leaders hold Jordanian citizenship, he
believes that Jordan is in a position to encourage
pragmatists within the organization to move towards the
political track.


4. (U) Minimize considered.

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the Department of State's SIPRNET home page.
HALE