GOJ WORKING TO SMOOTH TIES WITH IRAQ AS OPPOSITION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 003048

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/14/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KISL IZ JO
SUBJECT: GOJ WORKING TO SMOOTH TIES WITH IRAQ AS OPPOSITION
LAUDS IRAQI 'RESISTANCE'

REF: A. AMMAN 2851


B. AMMAN 2909

C. BAGHDAD 1507

D. BAGHDAD 1220

E. AMMAN 2714

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

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) King Abdullah has taken charge of the GOJ's effort
to repair strained Jordanian-Iraqi relations. He has given
his new cabinet (public) orders to cultivate better ties with
Iraq, and underscored Jordan's commitment to Iraq's
reconstruction and institution-building. His former Minister
of Awqaf last week called on imams to preach non-violence in
Iraq. The King also has congratulated the new Iraqi
leadership, and may soon dispatch his prime minister to
Baghdad. The visit would represent the first by an Arab PM
since Saddam's overthrow. Meanwhile, opposition political
parties have potentially stoked the fire yet again with a
statement lauding the "noble Iraqi resistance." End Summary.

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KING GIVES NEW CABINET MARCHING ORDERS ON IRAQ
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2. (U) King Abdullah has taken charge of the GOJ effort to
improve damaged relations with the Iraqi Transitional
Government in the aftermath of reports in March that a
Jordanian carried out a massive suicide bombing in Hilla.
Jordanian papers reported that the King on April 9 sent
congratulatory cables to Iraqi president Jalal Talabani,
Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, and President of the National
Assembly Hajim Husni, expressing Jordan's support in
rebuilding Iraq. During a meeting with the newly-formed
cabinet of Prime Minister Badran on April 10, King Abdullah
charged the ministers with doing their utmost to cultivate
good relations with Iraq (ref A). Pledging to give Iraq
whatever support it needs, he said: "The success of the
Iraqis in rebuilding their state is a success for Jordan."


3. (C) Jordan intends to back up its extensive practical
support for Iraq's reconstruction and institution-building
(ref B) with a near-term visit of PM Badran and his new
foreign minister to Baghdad. A date has not yet been set,
but the visit is all but confirmed, according to Jordanian
officials, despite the ongoing closure of the Jordanian
embassy there (ref C). Badran and FM Qasrawi will be the
highest level Jordanian officials to visit Iraq since the
toppling of Saddam Hussein, and the first PM and FM from a
neighboring state. The proposed visit would come after
numerous visits to Jordan of high-level Iraqi officials, most
recently Iraqi Planning Minister Mahid al-Hafiz in late March
(outgoing IIG PM Allawi was also here on a private visit, but
had good exchanges with senior Jordanian leaders). Hafiz's
talks with his Jordanian counterpart focused on preparations
for the Iraq donors conference planned to be hosted by Jordan
in June, according to local press reports. The ministers
reviewed the work of a joint committee formed during a
previous visit of Iraq's interim PM to Jordan that is
supposed to coordinate activities in multiple sectors.


4. (U) The GOJ also is encouraging its mosque preachers to
toe the line on the issue of violence in the name of Islam.
During a visit to a Zarqa area mosque, outgoing Minister of
Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Ahmad Hilayel on April 3 called on
religious leaders to denounce violence and the killing of
innocents in neighboring countries in the name of Islam,
particularly Iraq, and "resisting the calls of dissension and
conflict." He emphasized the importance of helping to
stabilize Iraq, and said Jordan's mission to help the needy
around the world (including Iraq) reflects the "true and
honorable picture" of Islam, a religion of moderation and
understanding. In a veiled reference to those who had
accused the GOJ of supporting terrorists in Iraq, Hilayel
rejected attempts to "cast doubts on the stands of Jordan" as
it works to "serve the Arab and Islamic nation." Rather,
Jordan denounces "acts of rancor and violence" and seeks to
preach a message of "love, cooperation, unity good deeds and
charity.... from our pulpits," he said.

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OPPOSITION LAUDS THE "RESISTANCE"
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5. (U) Meanwhile, the Opposition Parties Higher Coordination
Committee (representing 14 political parties, though
dominated by the Islamic Action Front) denounced the
continuing "U.S. occupation" of Iraq and called on Iraqis to
determine their future independently. In a statement issued
on April 9 to mark the second anniversary of Saddam's
overthrow, the Committee declared: "The purpose of the war on
Iraq was and will remain to humiliate the Arab nation,
protect Israel's security and profit from the region's wealth
and natural resources to benefit the U.S." The parties
called on Arab countries to acknowledge the Iraqi
"resistance" as a legitimate force and to offer them official
and public support and protection. It also called on all
Iraqis to unite and chart a "national agenda" that would end
U.S. occupation and "eliminate its plans to divide the
country on sectarian and ethnic bases."

6. (U) In a separate statement, the Islamic Action Front
blamed the U.S. for Iraq's current situation. "Iraq has
become a huge prison for its people. Iraqis are being
subjected to the most heinous of crimes known to mankind,
starting from cold-blooded murder to physical and
psychological torture... this represents the downfall of the
U.S. civilization that has for long been trying to present
itself as a role model." It called for an immediate
withdrawal of "occupiers" from Iraq and demanded that Arab
countries support those who are "fighting for the liberation"
of the country.

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TENSIONS DEEPER THAN MEETS THE EYE?
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7. (C) In the aftermath of the Ra'ed al-Banna fiasco,
Jordanians (including those in government) continue to
complain that Jordan was unfairly accused of supporting
terrorism. They point out that citizens from many other
countries (including Syrians, Egyptians, and Palestinians,
for example) are among the foreign fighters carrying out
terrorist acts in Iraq. They are quick to blame the Syrian
government in particular for supporting insurgents (in stark
contrast to Jordan's staunch counter-terrorism stand) and
complain bitterly that Iraqi critics have not been as vocal
about those countries as they have been in targeting Jordan.
They also continue to blame Iraqis (such as Ahmad Chalabi)
with perceived personal grudges against Jordan for fanning
the flames. Iraq's ambassador-designate to Egypt Safia Taleb
al-Souhail (who has known SCIRI leader Hakim for 20 years)
told emboff during a recent visit to Amman that Hakim's
motive for targeting Jordan in the aftermath of the Hilla
bomber story was to send a warning to King Abdullah against
getting involved in domestic Iraqi politics. It also is part
of a long-range plan to re-direct Iraqi economic ties from
Jordan to Iran, she said. She criticized former PM Allawi
for not immediately noting that Hakim's fiery public
statements represented the views of a private person and did
not reflect the views of the Iraqi government.


8. (C) When pressed, Jordanians grudgingly acknowledge that
Jordan's ties with the former Iraqi regime, which ordinary
Iraqis see as having benefited Jordanians at their expense,
is partly to blame for Iraqi anger towards Jordan. Iraqi
Minister for Women's Affairs, Narmin Othman, an ethnic Kurd,
told emboff on the margins of a recent capacity-building
conference held in Amman that many Iraqis question why more
Iraqi training is not done in Iraq. They particularly resent
hearing about Iraqi training and conferences in Jordan,
especially big programs like the Jordanian police training
center. She explained that these are perceived by some
Iraqis as a U.S. "gift" or "pay-off" to Jordan rather than
something directed at Iraqis. She claimed that Iraqis tend
to equate the current situation of Jordan-based Iraqi
training to the Jordanian profiteering during the Saddam era.


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AND WHAT OF SCIRI'S GRIEVANCES AGAINST JORDAN?
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9. (C) Jordanians also bristle in response to SCIRI's other
"grievances" against Jordan (ref D). For example, in
response to the charge that the GOJ is "coddling" members of
Saddam's family and protecting members of Saddam's regime,
officials here counter that the GOJ has admitted the family
members into Jordan out of humanitarian motives only. They
insist they are under close watch, only allowed to stay in
Jordan on the condition that they do not engage in
anti-IIG/ITG activity. They deny there are any prominent
figures of the Saddam regime in Jordan. With regard to
incitement in the media, Jordanian journalists themselves
have begun to take an introspective look at their own
coverage of the so-called "noble Iraqi resistance" (ref E).
Regarding the King's controversial warning of a rising "Shi'a
crescent" in the region, we have heard many Jordanians
endorse his fear, but several contacts have privately
criticized the King's comment as "ignorant." Jordanians also
flatly deny allegations of crooked business deals during
Saddam's era that earned them ill-gotten profits. Finally,
we have no information that a Jordanian was responsible for
the assassination of Hakim's brother Ayatollah Muhammad Baqr
al-Hakim. If a Jordanian citizen was, the Jordanians would
inevitably (and legitimately) reply that the government is
not responsible for the acts of every individual that carries
a Jordanian passport (as with the case of Ra'ed al-Banna or
any other Jordanian insurgent in Iraq, including Zarqawi).
In any event, Jordanian officials believe their record on
counter-terrorism speaks for itself.

COMMENT
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10. (C) Despite the GOJ's best efforts to support Iraq, the
opposition will continue to be a painful thorn in its side on
the Iraq issue. It will also be difficult to shake the
historical grievances Iraqis hold towards Jordanians dating
back to the GOJ's close relationship with the Saddam regime.
Ordinary Jordanians' real fear of growing Shi'a power on its
eastern doorstep and widespread antipathy towards U.S. policy
in Iraq and the region is driving the opposition's almost
blind support for the "noble resistance" (although there are
isolated voices in the media beginning to challenge the
press' "groupthink" sympathy for the insurgents). At the
risk of drawing unwanted attention by harshly curtailing the
local opposition on this issue, the GOJ has few options as it
seeks to tamp down the rhetoric here and publicly deal with
Iraqi skepticism about their intentions.


11. (U) 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