PALACE-SPONSORED UNITY CONFERENCE SEEKS TO RALLY

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005945 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2016 TAGS: PGOV KDEM KMPI KMCC JO SUBJECT: PALACE-SPONSORED UNITY CONFERENCE SEEKS TO RALLY SUPPORT FOR REFORM AGENDA Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. ( C ) Seven-hundred Jordanian leaders and opinion-shapers assembled at the Palace's invitation for a retreat at a Dead Sea resort July 26 and 27, under the slogan "We Are All Jordan." Part scripted rally, part off-site encounter session, the gathering was aimed at strengthening a consensus behind the package of reform legislation the government hopes to push through Parliament during the upcoming extraordinary session of parliament. The King is expected to convene the session in the coming month. ¶2. ( C ) The conference ratified the Palace's slate of six "national priorities" (para 3). The event was closed to media, although about 50 journalists participated as delegates and there was some fairly frank debate, according to post contacts. Leftist Palestinian-Jordanian columnist Oreib Rintawi claimed to poloff that during a subcommittee meeting on reform, he upbraided Bassem Awadallah, the King's office director, for moving too slowly toward democratization. In some committees there was so much debate that even pro-government delegates joked that the gathering's slogan should have been "we are all the opposition." -------------- Priorities -------------- ¶3. ( U ) Newspapers published the gathering's final communique, which covered three full pages. Highlights of the communique's conclusions for each "priority" are summarized below: *- "The Internal Front" ) Adopt policies and laws that fight corruption and nepotism, and combat "takfiri" ideas. Comment: Post understands that draft counter-terrorism legislation to be introduced to the summer session of parliament will punish more severely those who "support or condone terrorism." (Reftel). -- Political Reform ) Pass an amended political parties act, a reformed municipal elections act, an anti-money laundering law, legislation to create a government ombudsman, and a law requiring officials to disclose their finances. -- Economic Reform ) Decrease the budget deficit, increase reliance on internal resources, seek reform in the public sector, improve the tax system, expand the privatization process, strengthen the social safety net and seek to increase investment. -- Social Security - Improve services related to general and higher education, research, health care and combating poverty. -- Regional Challenges - Enhance the "internal front;" "fully support liberating Iraq from foreign occupation;" maintain Iraqi unity and sovereignty. -- Palestinian Question - Stress the Jordanian stance that a solution to the conflict should not come at Jordan's expense. The only solution is through the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state. ¶4. ( C ) The Palace selected the delegates from a broad range of Jordanian society and politics, from the urban establishment, tribes, Islamist, liberal and leftist oppositions, and the media. A number of post's contacts spoke dismissively of the conference because its conclusions were obviously pre-cooked. Others pointed out that the Palace never claimed the event would be other than a rally aimed at bolstering support for the King's reform agenda, and by that standard the retreat was a success. Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Abdul Hadi Majali was enthusiastic about the event and its results. In a meeting with Ambassador, he cited the broad participation - much expanded from past national unity conferences - and the freedom of discussion in the sub-committees. Majali himself was the moderator for the "internal front" debate; he said 150 people participated in this group's discussion. Sixty-five participants spoke, 22 concept papers were reviewed, and there was extensive "and passionate" debate. ¶5. ( SBU ) King Abdullah released August 5 a letter to Prime Minister Bakhit which praised the conference and directed him to implement its conclusions with new legislative and executive action. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶6. ( C ) Comment: In the Palace's view, PM Bakhit has now been handed on a silver platter consensus and momentum with which to move ahead with key reform legislation. If Bakhit,s cabinet is still unable to move most of these bills through parliament, many political observers expect a cabinet reshuffle or even a new PM. End Comment. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ Hale