CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS DISCUSS LAW ON ASSOCIATIONS

UNCLAS AMMAN 002977 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM JO SUBJECT: CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS DISCUSS LAW ON ASSOCIATIONS REF: A. AMMAN 2702 ¶B. AMMAN 2716 ¶1. (SBU) As part of Embassy Amman's continuing engagement on the Law on Associations (Ref A),the Ambassador hosted a tea for eleven civil society leaders on October 20. Post previously reported that Prime Minister Nader Dahabi was planning to return civil society's suggested amendments and ask them for a shorter, prioritized list (Ref B). According to the gathered NGO leaders, this has not happened yet, and they indicated confusion as to where the process stands. The Ambassador said he would push for an update from the PM on the status of amendments to the law. ¶2. (SBU) The leaders generally agreed that Jordanian civil society will accomplish nothing if it remains divided. Civil society leaders recognized the need to further coordinate their actions and engage with the Jordanian government on a more regular basis, without providing details on how they might do so. The Ambassador urged the civil society leaders to cooperate on areas of mutual concern, and outlined our advocacy efforts, emphasizing that Jordanians need to play a strong role in shaping amendments to the law. Beecroft