Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06AMMAN5033
2006-07-06 09:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:
FM KHATIB ON IRAQ NEIGHBORS' CONFERENCE IN TEHRAN
how-toVZCZCXYZ0014 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHAM #5033 1870901 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 060901Z JUL 06 FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2024 INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005033
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2016
TAGS: PREL IZ IR JO
SUBJECT: FM KHATIB ON IRAQ NEIGHBORS' CONFERENCE IN TEHRAN
REF: A. BAGHDAD 2314
B. STATE 107327
C. AMMAN 4879
Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
(C) Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdelilah Al-Khatib told
Ambassador July 5 that he had opposed actively the convening
of an Iraq Neighbors Conference in Tehran and had no desire
to attend it. He had put forward a number of ideas on how to
avoid this, such as a meeting on the margains of the OIC Baku
ministerial, but he said the Iraqi government had opposed
each alternative. Khatib noted that Iraqi FM Zebari made
clear to him and others that Iraq supported the Tehran event
and that Zebari would attend, putting the governments of
Iraq's other neighbors in a difficult position. He pointed
out that Saudi FM Saud al-Feisal and Egyptian FM Ahmad
Abul-Ghaith are going, as are the Turks and the Syrians.
Khatib said Jordan could not absent itself, and he believed
he needed to be in Tehran in order to push for the right
results, specifically a call against outside interference in
Iraqi political affairs. Khatib was also fearful that if he
did not attend, the Iranians would exploit his absence
publicly as a demonstration of who Iraq's "real friends"
were.
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/
Hale
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2016
TAGS: PREL IZ IR JO
SUBJECT: FM KHATIB ON IRAQ NEIGHBORS' CONFERENCE IN TEHRAN
REF: A. BAGHDAD 2314
B. STATE 107327
C. AMMAN 4879
Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
(C) Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdelilah Al-Khatib told
Ambassador July 5 that he had opposed actively the convening
of an Iraq Neighbors Conference in Tehran and had no desire
to attend it. He had put forward a number of ideas on how to
avoid this, such as a meeting on the margains of the OIC Baku
ministerial, but he said the Iraqi government had opposed
each alternative. Khatib noted that Iraqi FM Zebari made
clear to him and others that Iraq supported the Tehran event
and that Zebari would attend, putting the governments of
Iraq's other neighbors in a difficult position. He pointed
out that Saudi FM Saud al-Feisal and Egyptian FM Ahmad
Abul-Ghaith are going, as are the Turks and the Syrians.
Khatib said Jordan could not absent itself, and he believed
he needed to be in Tehran in order to push for the right
results, specifically a call against outside interference in
Iraqi political affairs. Khatib was also fearful that if he
did not attend, the Iranians would exploit his absence
publicly as a demonstration of who Iraq's "real friends"
were.
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/
Hale