HOUSE STAFFDEL MEETS WITH KING ABDULLAH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004320

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER KPAL EFIN IZ JO
SUBJECT: HOUSE STAFFDEL MEETS WITH KING ABDULLAH

REF: AMMAN 909

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


1. (C) Summary. A staff delegation from the U.S. House of
Representatives, accompanied by Charge, met with King
Abdullah on May 29. The staffdel trip was hosted by the
Government of Jordan, arranged by the Jordanian Embassy in
Washington, and the Jordanian Foreign Ministry. Also present
were Royal Court Minister Marwan Muasher, Minister of Finance
Bassem Awadallah, and Rania Attalah, the King's communication
director. The King told the staffdel that there must be a
reconfirmation of the Quartet-led roadmap, and that there is,
in his view, a two-year window for the establishment of a
viable Palestinian state. On Iraq, the King stressed the
importance of the upcoming December elections, and emphasized
the role that moderates, like former Interim Prime Minister
Allawi, must play in Iraq's future. The King expressed
gratitude for U.S. support for Jordan, tying this support to
the broader struggle to win over hearts and minds in the Arab
world. End Summary.

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Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
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2. (C) King Abdullah told staffdel members on May 29 that he
had recently spoken with Abu Mazen, and that he considered
the Palestinian Authority President's visit to Washington to
have been a success. The King spoke about the
Palestinian/Israeli conflict with guarded optimism. He is
glad to see the Gaza pullout proceeding on track, but said
that there is a lack of clarity on how Gaza disengagement
correlates to the roadmap. What is the next step after the
Gaza pullout is complete, the King asked? He called for a
reconfirmation of the roadmap that would get rid of the
ambiguity surrounding the pullout, and stated that the future
of the region hangs in the balance. The King said that there
is a two-year window to achieve a viable Palestinian state.
If this does not occur, the crisis will continue for
decades., with serious implications for Jordan's stability
and identity.


3. (U) The Palestinian issue also surfaced in the King's
comments on the war on terror. He said that insurgent groups
and terrorist organizations are using the plight of the
Palestinian people as a recruiting tool. Progress on the
peace process is needed in order to keep the Palestinian
cause from being perverted into a rallying cry for terrorists.


4. (C) The King, echoed by Muasher, said that the U.S. needs
to give real support to Abu Mazen. He welcomed the positive
influence of the USD 50 million pledge to the P.A. President.
Muasher stated that the U.S. needs to continue giving Abu
Mazen the "tools" he needs to attain a moderate parliament
that he can work with; he needs to be able to demonstrate the
he and the moderates can make a difference in people's lives,
to counter Hamas' influence.


5. (C) For his country's part, the King said that Jordan is
engaging in civilian training programs for Palestinians, and
stands ready to provide security training. Jordan has also
renewed discussions with the PA and Israel regarding proposed
deployment of the Palestinian Badr Brigade (ref) to the West
Bank. In today's climate, the King argued, the "highly
trained" Badr Brigade could be of use, policing of the West
Bank in place of IDF soldiers or poorly equipped Palestinian
Authority forces.

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Iraq
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6. (C) The King stressed the importance of the elections,
anticipated to take place in December, 2005, and said that it
should be a goal of the coalition to strengthen the "Allawis"
-- i.e. the secular moderates willing to work across
confessional divisions). He said that the GOJ has been
hosting behind the scenes meetings with Iraqis to bolster
Sunni support for moderate figures. Asked if he felt that the
U.S.-led intervention in Iraq was a mistake, the King replied
that he does not lament Saddam Hussein's demise. The King
remarked that it was only a matter of time before Saddam
would have come after Jordan, and that he needed to be
removed. However, he stated that mistakes were made in the
aftermath of the war. He lamented the decision to disband all
of the security forces and the emphasis on rapid
de-Baathification. These two actions, in the King's
estimation, had allowed the insurgency to swell and helped
pave the way for the possible "Iranization" of Iraq.

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Hearts and Minds
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7. (C) The King said that thanks to U.S. support for the
Jordan Education Initiative, Jordanian schools are now using
a modern, moderate curriculum and are becoming a role model
for the region. The First Lady shared this sentiment during
her visit to Amman earlier in May. The King noted his
appreciation for the assistance that his country receives
from the U.S.. This support allows Jordan to move forward on
the reform agenda, and enables the King to promote a moderate
message. According to the King, the tangible manifestations
of U.S. assistance also help to win over the hearts and minds
of Jordanians and of the Arab world. The King said that he
expects Jordan will need the same level of U.S. financial
support through 2007 or 2008, but that the nation is
approaching the point where it can stand on its own two feet.
The King said that his country had a three-year plan to
achieve this goal.


8. (C) In a side note, the King reconfirmed that he will push
for parliamentary approval of an improved anti-money
laundering law, particularly in the aftermath of the
accusations directed against the Arab Bank's New York branch.
HALE