JORDAN'S ISLAMISTS FLIP-FLOP ON STANCE TOWARD SARG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000613 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2016 TAGS: PGOV KISL SY JO SUBJECT: JORDAN'S ISLAMISTS FLIP-FLOP ON STANCE TOWARD SARG Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Jordanian Islamists were put on the defensive after expressing support for possible cooperation between the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and former Syrian VP Khaddam against the SARG. Faced with local accusations of interference in Syrian affairs and aiding Western governments, Islamists changed their tune publicly to stress their strong opposition to foreign designs against the regime in Damascus. END SUMMARY. -------------- FOR OR AGAINST? -------------- ¶2. (U) As reported by independent Arabic daily Al Ghad the Supervisor General of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood (JMB), Abdul Majid Thneibat, stated publicly on January 8 that the JMB supported the position of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood in its readiness to work with former Syrian VP Khaddam to bring about regime change in Damascus. Thneibat said that "cooperation between the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and Khaddam or anyone else would serve the interests of the Syrian people and lead to national harmony." He also warned against, however, "any foreign or American interference or conspiracy to change the Syrian regime." ¶3. (C) On January 16, Arabic weeklies Al Wihda (a low circulation, Arab nationalist publication) and Al Majd (a non-influential Baathist mouthpiece) published a story on the visit to Damascus of a Jordanian group calling itself "the Jordanian National Forum" to express support for the SARG. The group reportedly met with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and the Assistant Secretary General of the Baath Arab Socialist Party, Abdullah Al-Ahmar, to "demonstrate strong solidarity with Syria in the face of American and French threats." MP Abdullah Zreiqat (Christian East Banker, Kerak) told pol FSN that the group consisted of 15 persons, mostly from professional associations and small opposition political parties, and included one MP, Mohammad Al-Bzour (West Banker, Irbid) from the Islamic Action Front (IAF), which is the political wing of the JMB. Bzour is known as a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy in the region. The Jordanian press reported on January 18 that the Higher Coordinating Committee for Opposition Parties, a loose coalition of about a dozen parties dominated by the IAF, had commended the Jordanian National Forum on its mission to Damascus, and had decided to send a "letter of solidarity and support" to the Syrian leadership. -------------- ISLAMISTS ON THE DEFENSIVE -------------- ¶4. (U) Disagreement over Syria almost led to a brawl in the Chamber of Deputies on January 18 following remarks by MP Raed Hjazeen (Christian East Banker, Kerak),in which he denounced Thneibat's statement supporting Syrian Islamist cooperation with Khaddam against the Assad regime. Hjazeen and members of his "Democratic Rally" bloc accused the JMB of "direct intervention in internal Syrian affairs," which provoked a heated reaction from IAF deputies. Later that same day, IAF Secretary General Hamza Mansour effectively retracted Thneibat's earlier comments, stating that "it is not in the Syrian national interest to cooperate with Khaddam." More defensive posturing came on January 21 when the IAF's governing Shura Council condemned publicly the "targeting of Syria by outside interests" and "all foreign muscle-flexing against any Arab or Islamic state." Shura Council chairman Abdul Latif Arabiyat also rejected cooperation with "any party" that would enlist foreign help under the "pretext of reform and change," especially parties known for corruption -- a clear reference to Khaddam. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶5. (C) The JMB's backtracking from its initial position on cooperation with Khaddam reflects the internal debate in Islamist circles here regarding Syria. After strongly backing the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood in its confrontation with the SARG in the 1980's, attitudes toward Damascus began to soften within the JMB/IAF due in part to the Assad regime's hard-line stance against Israel and the haven it provided for Hamas's leadership. Some Islamists would still welcome almost any opportunity to help their banned brethren in Syria change the regime in Damascus, despite the perception that the U.S. seeks the same goal. Others, however, are motivated to publicly oppose perceived U.S. initiatives in the region, and to aid any party that "resists Zionism," regardless of whether those policies are seen as congruent with long-stated aims of the Islamic movement. Hale