FOREIGN MINISTER QASRAWI ON UN REFORM, OTHER ISSUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005387 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2015 TAGS: PREL PTER KISL KPAL JO SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER QASRAWI ON UN REFORM, OTHER ISSUES REF: A. STATE 111657 ¶B. AMMAN 5357 Classified By: CDA David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (U) Charge met with Jordanian FM Qasrawi on July 5 and discussed the following subjects: UN REFORM -------------- ¶2. (C) Charge explained USG positions (ref A) on the various aspects of UN reform, and Qasrawi answered each in turn, spending most of the time discussing Security Council reform. He said that Jordan is concerned that there will be a split over the G-4 proposal, and that the GOJ is especially mindful of the importance of Africa's position on Security Council reform. Jordan is supportive of both Japan's and Germany's bids for seats on the Council, but will not co-sponsor any resolution. Qasrawi said that he is not sure Germany can get the required 2/3 majority vote. ¶3. (C) He noted that Jordan is supportive of any initiative to develop the Third World, and supports an assistance target based on a percentage of GDP as a means of revitalizing the UN's development capabilities. Jordan is also supportive of the U.S. proposal for a new Human Rights Council. ¶4. (C) On the UN Convention on Terrorism, Qasrawi said that there is still a problem over defining terrorism. He suggested to Charge that the U.S. look at the definition adopted by the council of Arab ministers, as the current definition in the convention has drawn the ire of Syria as well as some other Islamic and developing nations. ARTICLE 98 -------------- ¶5. (C) The Article 98 agreement was cleared by the Council of Ministers and now sits before Parliament. Qasrawi, however, gave no reason to believe that Parliament would ratify it during the six-week extraordinary session this summer (slated to begin the week of July 10). Charge noted that if it were not ratified, another waiver of the Nethercutt amendment would be necessary. PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE (PSI) -------------- 6, (C) While seven different GOJ agencies had presented concerns over the PSI, Qasrawi said that all of them had been addressed with the exception of the Ministry of Interior's objection based on "sovereignty" issues. Qasrawi was optimistic that this could be resolved, allowing Jordan to join the PSI. MDA - RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT SOCIETY -------------- ¶7. (C) According to Qasrawi, the MDA issue came up at the OIC meeting in Yemen in the form of a Palestinian proposal to declare that the time was "not right" for the convening of a diplomatic conference to adopt a Third Additional Protocol to the Geneva Convention. Jordan, he said, has no objection to the concept, but the timing has to be right, which was not presently the case. He stressed that the Palestinians also agree in principle to the conference, but want it postponed until after a successful Gaza withdrawal. BRUSSELS CONFERENCE ON IRAQ -------------- ¶8. (C) Qasrawi said he thought the conference was successful. He noted that the Syrian and Iranian delegations were not "controversial," and that the parties seemed to be genuinely supportive of Iraq. Qasrawi hoped that this sentiment would be reflected in the donors' conference to be held in Amman later this month. AMMAN CONFERENCE ON "ROLE OF ISLAM IN MODERN SOCIETY" -------------- -------------- ¶9. (C) In his remarks at the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting in Yemen, Qasrawi mentioned the international Islamic conference in Amman, saying that the time was right for such an event (ref B). Qasrawi said that the King's opening speech was short but rich, and provided a great start to the conference. Qasrawi stated that there needs to be more cooperation between the U.S. and the Jordanian public on Islamic issues and suggested some avenues for increased cooperation, including programming at the Brookings Institute. OIC MEETING IN YEMEN -------------- ¶10. (C) Qasrawi was surprised that no foreign ministers from the Gulf, including the Saudi foreign minister, attended the OIC meeting. He speculated that the absence of the Saudi foreign minister could be due to tension between KSA and Yemen over security. He also noted that it appeared the Yemenis were disappointed with the lower-than-expected turnout. FATAH MEETING IN AMMAN -------------- ¶11. (C) Qasrawi said that it is imperative that Abu Mazen strengthens FATAH to nullify the destabilizing effects of HAMAS and Islamic Jihad. Currently, the in-fighting and competition between these groups renders all chances for a unified Palestinian voice moot. HALE