AMBASSADOR CRUMPTON'S MEETING WITH PRINCE ALI

S E C R E T AMMAN 001505

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

FOR NEA, INL, PM, AND S/CT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER MARR PHUM LE SY JO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR CRUMPTON'S MEETING WITH PRINCE ALI

REF: 05 AMMAN 09792

Classified By: AMBASSADOR DAVID HALE FOR REASONS 1.4 (b and d).


1. (S/NF) Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador Henry
Crumpton met February 28 with Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, one
of King Abdullah's closest advisors and his half-brother.
Discussions focused on Jordan's Counterrorism (CT) support
request (Ref A). Ambassador Crumpton was joined in the
meeting by the Ambassador, SIMO chief and Poloff.


2. (S/NF) In response to Ambassador Crumpton's questions
about Jordan's CT needs, Prince Ali said "We need a lot of
help, we've sent you a comprehensive package with our
requests and any support we can get is welcome." Prince Ali
identified border security assistance and the proposed Crisis
Management Center (Ref A) as priorities, and said Jordan
needed an internal reorganization of some of its security
forces. As an example of current organizational problems, he
noted that chemical and biological threats are currently
handled by Jordan's intelligence services and that these
functions need to be moved to the Civil Defense Directorate.
Jordanian CT forces had trained for hotel bomb scenarios
prior to the November attacks in Amman, he said, but had the
bombings occurred in Petra or at the Dead Sea, the Jordanian
security response would have been poor.


3. (C) Prince Ali said it wasn,t possible to over-emphasize
the importance of the U.S.-Jordan relationship. "We're
really on the front line here, and we really need your help;
Jordan's only real friend and ally is the U.S." He expressed
surprise at the Dubai Ports controversy and hoped for a quick
resolution because the issue would surely be spun as one of
prejudice against Arabs in the region,s media. Prince Ali
added that he felt Jordan was treated unfairly in the State
Department,s annual human rights report, saying "We're not
the same as Egypt or Syria and we don't like being lumped
together in the same category as them." The Ambassador
replied that the report is an attempt to describe objectively
developments in Jordan as it is in every other country in the
world.
HALE