KING REVIEWS DOMESTIC ISSUES, REFORM AGENDA

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 009372

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2010
TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ JO
SUBJECT: KING REVIEWS DOMESTIC ISSUES, REFORM AGENDA


Classified By: Ambassador David Hale, Reasons 1.4, (B) & (D)


1. (C) Summary: The King believes the aftermath of the
November 9 bombings has given him the political upperhand to
compel parliamentary passage of key reformist legislation.
His Prime Minister is less certain, predicting an easy vote
of confidence but controversary over the budget. Both
leaders assure Ambassador that ratification of the Article 98
agreement and adoption of the draft anti-money laundering
bill are top prioirites, along with a new election law and a
controversial belt-tightening budget. End Summary.


2. (C) Immediately after delivering his speech from the
throne reconvening parliament, the King hosted lunch for
resident EU and G-8 ambassadors on December 1. Key points
follow:

--Acknowledging he had considered dissolving parliament and
calling early elections in order to overcome parliamentary
opposition to reform, the King said the November 9 bombings
had changed the dynamics. He had decided to bring parliament
back, as it was critical now to build on national unity, not
undercut it. He also needed parliament's endorsement of new
security laws necessitated by the bombings, and its help in
making sure those laws do not have negative effects on human
rights and political reform. In a one-on-one with Ambassador
after the lunch, the King said he was giving the current
parliament "one last chance" to support the reform agenda.
He believed that members were sobered by his unpublicized but
now widely known threat to dissolve parliament. They now
would be less tempted to challenge the King's program at a
time of national unity. In short, the bombings had given the
King a degree of political strength unseen since the death of
his father, King Hussein. He said he still anticipated
parliamentary elections sometime in late 2006, about a year
earlier than planned. His current thinking is to dissolve
parliament only on the eve of those elections, allowing just
enough time for a brief campaign season without generating
concerns he was seeking to rule without a legislature.

--The King's parliamentary priorities were: adoption of
party and election laws that will improve parliamentary
representation on a one-man, one-vote system; establishment
of an ombudsman and an independent anti-corruption unit;
accelerated privatization and a new tax regime to help the
private sector and improve public finances; and a concerted
campaign to eliminate poverty and unemployment. As Jordan
undertook the difficult campaign against terrorism, it would
need to provide a social safety net to the poor, and needed
continued foreign assistance to do so. The King appealed to
the EU/G-8 to continue to support Jordan. (Prime Minister
Bakheet separately told Ambassador he doubted a majority of
Parliament would pass an election law that will disadvantage
many incumbents, but would do his best. If the current
Parliament adopted a reform election law, he personally saw
no need for early elections. Privately, both leaders told
Ambassador ratification of the Article 98 agreement and
adoption of an anti-money laundering law were top priorities
as well.)

--The "gloves are off" now in Jordan's battle against takfiri
extremism, the King said, but he would not violate basic
human rights. Persons using extremist rhetoric to incite
terrorism would be taken to court. If guilty, they would be
fined, but not jailed. He would also insist the Islamic
Action Front-dominated charities and unions open their
financial books for transparent examination, and pay taxes.
He said no draconian steps were contemplated. Alone with
Ambassador, the King has expressed on several recent
occasions his unhappiness with a perceived Qatari policy )
through al-Jazeera ) of promoting the takfiri message and
attacking Jordan. He described Jordanian-Qatari relations as
rapidly deteriorating and said he would not stand aside while
al-Jazeera incited terrorism. On December 5 he passed along
a paper detailing Qatar's offenses, which post will provide
to NEA.
HALE