GOJ PUSHES ARTICLE 98 AGREEMENT IN SENATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005994

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL JO KICC
SUBJECT: GOJ PUSHES ARTICLE 98 AGREEMENT IN SENATE

REF: A. AMMAN 05848

B. AMMAN 05624

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


1. (C) Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Abdul
Karim al-Malahmeh told Charge July 28 that he and several
other GOJ ministers (including the Foreign and Justice
Ministers) would be going later in the day to the Jordanian
Senate to explain and lobby for ratification of the Article
98 agreement, which was previously stricken by the Lower
House from its agenda for the current extraordinary session
of parliament (ref B). Malahmeh predicted that the Senate
Legal Committee would very shortly recommend the agreement
for ratification, and that the full Senate would begin debate
on it early next week. While Malahmeh was confident that the
Article 98 agreement would meet with Senate approval, he was
uncertain whether this would be accomplished before the
conclusion of the current extraordinary session. (NOTE: The
duration of the extraordinary session is determined by the
King, currently outside Jordan, by means of a royal decree.
The GOJ previously informed post that the session would
likely end July 28 (ref A); we have no information yet on a
revised date for the session's end. END NOTE.)


2. (C) MP Suleiman Abu Ghaith (West Banker, Madaba) told
emboffs July 28 that he and other MPs in the Lower House had
voted to strike the Article 98 agreement from the
extraordinary session agenda based on "sovereignty" concerns.
He admitted, however, that he knew very little about the
agreement and that most MPs (including himself) had not even
read it. When emboffs described what the agreement entailed
and how it did not infringe on Jordanian sovereignty, Abu
Ghaith expressed some surprise and stated that the GOJ should
have done a better job in explaining the agreement's
provisions to MPs. Abu Ghaith continued that even if the
Lower House rejects the agreement when parliament reconvenes
in the fall, in his opinion it would still likely be later
ratified by a majority in a joint session of the Lower House
and Senate (ref B) since "every Senator would attend," while
the GOJ would help ensure that enough MPs opposing the
agreement failed to show up for the vote.
HALE