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."

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Priorities
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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.

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Comment
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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