AMBASSADOR CRUMPTON'S MEETING WITH FM KHATIB

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 001534 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR NEA, INL, PM AND S/CT E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2015 TAGS: PREL KWBG PTER MARR PHUM KISL SY JO IR IZ SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR CRUMPTON'S MEETING WITH FM KHATIB REF: A. DAMASCUS 673 ¶B. 05 AMMAN 1785 Classified By: AMBASSADOR DAVID HALE FOR REASONS 1.4 (b and d). ¶1. (SBU) Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador Henry Crumpton met with Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Al-Khatib February 28. Discussions focused on regional concerns including Hamas, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan,s efforts to combat radical Islamist ideologies. Jordanian participants included Foreign Ministry Secretary General Nabih Shuqom, and Bisher al Khasawneh, the Foreign Ministry's legal advisor. Ambassador Crumpton was joined in the meeting by the Ambassador and Poloff. ¶2. (C) HAMAS: Foreign Minister Khatib told Ambassador Crumpton that Hamas faces a daunting challenge. The experience it has developed over the years, he said, is irrelevant to the tasks it now faces. Khatib noted that Hamas' electoral victory was good for democracy in the region, but Hamas has not shown that it is prepared to move forward in Palestine. He predicted that its political honeymoon would soon end, probably when the new Israeli government is formed. Khatib speculated that Hamas had five weeks in which to form a government and find some accommodation with the Israelis; otherwise, PA President Abbas would probably dissolve the PLC and call for new elections. Khatib admitted that it was unclear whether Abbas had the legal authority to dissolve PLC under these circumstances. ¶3. (C) Khatib was concerned about Iranian support for Hamas, and questioned Hamas's strategy of developing relations with the Iranian regime. Khatib was disturbed that Hamas leadership had tried to contacted him in pursuit of a meeting through Jordanian Islamist members of parliament, instead of through the Palestinian embassy in Amman. He said he did not want to meet Jordanian citizens working on behalf of a foreign organization. (Many Hamas leaders, although not permitted to reside in Jordan, bear Jordanian passports.) ¶4. (C) SYRIA: Khatib described Jordan's relations with Syria as "the same as always - not warm." He remarked that Syria's new foreign minister, Walid Muallem, was more flexible and more adept at reading the international community than former FM Shara. Khatib hoped (but doubted) the SARG's new ministers (Ref A) could help Syria move in the right direction and said "in light of the problems in Iraq and potential for more trouble in Lebanon, the region cannot withstand another crisis." ¶5. (C) LEBANON: Khatib said that Jordan is interested in strengthening its relationship with Lebanon, and that King Abdullah is sincere in his desire to help upgrade the capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces. He mentioned that the King, during his last trip to Washington, had discussed the possibility of giving excess military equipment to Lebanon, and that the GOJ was waiting for a response. Khatib noted that Jordan is ready to host Lebanese police forces for training. ¶6. (C) IRAQ: FM Khatib told Ambassador Crumpton that the GOJ was carefully putting together a conference of Iraqi Sunni and Shi'a religious leaders - a meeting that the GOJ views as highly important, building on the Amman message process. Khatib added that the Arab League is moving forward with plans for an Iraq reconciliation conference to be held in Iraq in June. ¶7. (C) FM Khatib referred to the stalled Middle East peace process as the "mother of all grievances" in the region. Radicals in the Arab world "feed off of" the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that "recharging" the peace process is the best weapon in the war against terrorism. Khatib also noted that King Abdullah is working on "Amman II" - a new "Amman Message" (ref B) to combat radical Islamist ideology. ¶8. (U) Ambassador Crumpton did not have the opportunity to clear this message. HALE