PREVENTING AL-MANAR BROADCASTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 009719 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/14/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER ANET ASEC JO SUBJECT: PREVENTING AL-MANAR BROADCASTS REF: STATE 216186 Classified By: CDA Daniel Rubinstein for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Ambassador delivered reftel demarche December 13 to newly appointed Minister of Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) Omar Kurdi. In addition to delivering the non-paper, Ambassador emphasized that the Secretary has added Al-Manar to the Terrorist Exclusion List (TEL),and that the USG may request that Al-Manar be designated a terrorist organization under E.O. 13224. ICT Minister Kurdi acknowledged the seriousness of the topic, and noted that there was no Al-Manar station located in Jordan. Kurdi understood it was a case of Al-Manar's use of the Arabsat transponder, and agreed to discuss the issue further with the Foreign Minister. ¶2. (C) In the Ambassador's meeting the following day with Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah al-Khatib on Al-Manar and other topics, Khatib noted that a recommendation regarding the issue is on its way to the Prime Minister, implying endorsement of the USG request. RUBINSTEIN