KING RECALLS PARLIAMENT FOR EXTRAORDINARY SESSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 006167

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2016
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KMPI KMCC KTFN EFIN JO
SUBJECT: KING RECALLS PARLIAMENT FOR EXTRAORDINARY SESSION
TO PUSH REFORM LEGISLATION

REF: A) AMMAN 5945 B) AMMAN 5907

Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. ( U ) King Abdullah issued a royal decree on August 10
to recall Parliament for an extraordinary session, a move
Jordan's political class had been expecting and which GoJ
contacts had confirmed was coming. The session, which begins
August 13 and is expected to last up to two months, will
consider 42 bills supported by the government.


2. ( SBU ) Jordan's constitution provides that the King sets
the legislative agenda for extraordinary sessions. The "We
are all Jordan" national unity conference of July 26-27 (ref
A) set the stage for this special session of parliament and,
in the Palace's view, established a national consensus in
support of the government's agenda of reform legislation.
Among the priority bills parliament will consider are a
reformed political parties law, a new municipal government
law (which, if passed, should lead to municipal elections
throughout Jordan in the coming months),and a
counter-terrorism bill. Human rights groups have criticized
the terrorism measure, claiming it allows for indefinite
detention of suspects.


3. ( U ) Economic legislation on the agenda includes a
(long-overdue) improved anti-money laundering law that will
enable Jordan to establish a Financial Intelligence Unit that
meets international standards. Anti-corruption, tax reform
and financial disclosure laws are also on the agenda, as well
as a law further tightening procedures for issuing fatwas,
and amendments to the Press and Publications Law that will
loosen the official press union's control of the profession.


4. (SBU) Reform advocates will be watching especially
closely the municipal government bill. We expect opponents
in parliament to argue in public that a return to Jordan's
tradition of fully elected local governments will bring
"unqualified" people into government; in private they will
argue that Islamists will make big gains.

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Potential Diversions: Islamists and Lebanon
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5. ( C ) This extraordinary session follows the State
Security Court conviction of two Islamic Action Front MPs on
charges under of Article 150 of the Jordanian Penal Code for
"fueling national discord and inciting sectarianism" when
they offered condolences to the family of Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi. The two MPs are currently appealing their
sentences (ref B). Some Front members have called on their
parliamentary party to walk out of the extraordinary session
in protest. At the same time, with Jordanians of all
political persuasions still highly emotional over the
violence in Lebanon despite UNSCR 1701, the government may
not be able to deny MPs the opportunity to speak from the
floor on these issues. Too much delay could jeopardize the
government's highly ambitious agenda.


6. ( C ) Comment: This session will be a "make or break" one
for the Bakhit cabinet, which must prove to the king it is
able to get an ambitious reform agenda through an anti-reform
legislature. The King believes he handed parliamentary
support to the Bakhit team on, in his private words, a silver
platter by building consensus for that agenda through the "We
are all Jordan" conference. Speaker Majali expressed to
Ambassador a high degree of confidence that key components of
the reform platform will be adopted this summer. In contrast
to previous prime ministers, Bakhit can also count on the
behind-the-scenes support of the General Intelligence
Directorate in twisting the odd legislator's arm (however, he
himself does not appear fully briefed on the extent of this
support). Other contacts in parliament are less optimistic
that the parliament will cooperate with the cabinet, and
predict it quickly bogged down in populist debate of the tax
reform bill and of the situation in Lebanon. End Comment.

Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at
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Hale