Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08AMMAN3122
2008-11-17 07:09:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:
JORDANIAN-QATARI RELATIONS START TO THAW IN BUSINESS AND
how-toVZCZCXRO2529 RR RUEHDE RUEHDIR DE RUEHAM #3122 3220709 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 170709Z NOV 08 FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3835 INFO RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 2941 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3832 RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 4011 RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 5230 RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1397 RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 003122
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EEB, NEA/ELA
E.O. 12958: 10/13/2018
TAGS: EINV PREL PGOV KISL KWBG JO QA
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN-QATARI RELATIONS START TO THAW IN BUSINESS AND
POLITICAL ARENAS
Classified by: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 003122
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EEB, NEA/ELA
E.O. 12958: 10/13/2018
TAGS: EINV PREL PGOV KISL KWBG JO QA
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN-QATARI RELATIONS START TO THAW IN BUSINESS AND
POLITICAL ARENAS
Classified by: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)
1. (C) Prime Minister Nader Dahabi led a high-level November 8-9
delegation to Qatar which included the Ministers of Labor, Industry
and Trade, and Media Affairs. According to press reports, Jordan and
Qatar agreed to establish a joint investment fund, with up to $1
billion from Qatar, and to set up a private sector business council.
Qatar also offered to sign a protocol on recruiting Jordanian
expatriates and streamlining work visa-related procedures. Jordan
Investment Board CEO Dr. Maen Nsour, under instructions from the PM,
will travel to Doha on November 17, to review with the Qataris
proposals for possible investment in energy, water, tourism, chemical
manufacturing, and industry. The goal, he explained is to develop an
investment framework in advance of an upcoming trip to Qatar by King
Abdullah II, which is expected to occur on November 23-24, with the
King staying one night.
2. (C) Beyond the economic sphere, Jordan and Qatar are also drawing
closer to each other on the political front after many years of
frigid relations. During the PM's visit, Jordan announced the
appointment of a new ambassador to Qatar, a post that had remained
vacant for two years. During this period of mutual distrust,
Qatar-based Al-Jazeera conducted an interview with Prince Hassan in
which he dwelt on being passed over for the throne by the late King
Hussein. That incident angered Jordanian authorities enough to
confiscate the tapes from the news crew and resulted in the
withdrawal of Jordan's ambassador. Commenting on the interview,
Nsour called it a "blip" and said Qatar, as home to Al-Jazeera, was
too influential to ignore and argued that improving relations was
long overdue.
3. (C) Nevertheless, in the eyes of most Jordanians, the Prince
Hassan incident was only the most egregious example of Qatari
interference in Jordanian internal affairs. By cultivating local
Islamists and befriending Hamas, the Qatari government (and
Al-Jazeera in particular) has long been seen as undermining Jordan's
stability. Yet now those same Islamist ties are being used to repair
the relationship. According to National Center for Human Rights
Director and former PM Adnan Badran, the thaw in Jordanian-Qatari
relations is directly related to ongoing talks between GOJ, Hamas,
and the Islamic Action Front (IAF). Despite the assurances of GOJ
officials that talks are confined to the security arena, Badran said
that ongoing negotiations with domestic and foreign Islamists have
eased tensions on the political front as well, allowing Jordan to
reach out to the Islamists' main regional patron.
4. (SBU) During a November 12 press conference, Minister of State
for Media and Communication Affairs Nasser Judah said relations
between Jordan and Qatar are now "better than ever before." He also
mentioned that both Jordan and Qatar have the same commitment to
returning the momentum to the peace process and establishing an
independent Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil - a key
point of difference between the two countries in the past.
5. (SBU) Ministry of Labor Secretary General Dr. Gazi Shbaikat
confirmed that Jordan and Qatar are in discussions over Jordanian
expatriate policies and procedures. Shbaikat agreed that falling oil
prices could harm Jordan through both a decline in foreign direct
investment in Jordan, as well as a decline in the hiring of
Jordanians abroad. He did not think that the number of Jordanian
expatriate workers would decline from current levels, estimated at
about 400,000 workers, nor did he expect many Jordanians to return,
but he was pessimistic about the potential for short-term job growth
in the Gulf. He added that Jordan's economy relies increasingly
heavily on foreign remittances which exceeded $3 billion between
January and August of this year.
Visit Amman's Classified Website at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman
Beecroft
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EEB, NEA/ELA
E.O. 12958: 10/13/2018
TAGS: EINV PREL PGOV KISL KWBG JO QA
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN-QATARI RELATIONS START TO THAW IN BUSINESS AND
POLITICAL ARENAS
Classified by: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)
1. (C) Prime Minister Nader Dahabi led a high-level November 8-9
delegation to Qatar which included the Ministers of Labor, Industry
and Trade, and Media Affairs. According to press reports, Jordan and
Qatar agreed to establish a joint investment fund, with up to $1
billion from Qatar, and to set up a private sector business council.
Qatar also offered to sign a protocol on recruiting Jordanian
expatriates and streamlining work visa-related procedures. Jordan
Investment Board CEO Dr. Maen Nsour, under instructions from the PM,
will travel to Doha on November 17, to review with the Qataris
proposals for possible investment in energy, water, tourism, chemical
manufacturing, and industry. The goal, he explained is to develop an
investment framework in advance of an upcoming trip to Qatar by King
Abdullah II, which is expected to occur on November 23-24, with the
King staying one night.
2. (C) Beyond the economic sphere, Jordan and Qatar are also drawing
closer to each other on the political front after many years of
frigid relations. During the PM's visit, Jordan announced the
appointment of a new ambassador to Qatar, a post that had remained
vacant for two years. During this period of mutual distrust,
Qatar-based Al-Jazeera conducted an interview with Prince Hassan in
which he dwelt on being passed over for the throne by the late King
Hussein. That incident angered Jordanian authorities enough to
confiscate the tapes from the news crew and resulted in the
withdrawal of Jordan's ambassador. Commenting on the interview,
Nsour called it a "blip" and said Qatar, as home to Al-Jazeera, was
too influential to ignore and argued that improving relations was
long overdue.
3. (C) Nevertheless, in the eyes of most Jordanians, the Prince
Hassan incident was only the most egregious example of Qatari
interference in Jordanian internal affairs. By cultivating local
Islamists and befriending Hamas, the Qatari government (and
Al-Jazeera in particular) has long been seen as undermining Jordan's
stability. Yet now those same Islamist ties are being used to repair
the relationship. According to National Center for Human Rights
Director and former PM Adnan Badran, the thaw in Jordanian-Qatari
relations is directly related to ongoing talks between GOJ, Hamas,
and the Islamic Action Front (IAF). Despite the assurances of GOJ
officials that talks are confined to the security arena, Badran said
that ongoing negotiations with domestic and foreign Islamists have
eased tensions on the political front as well, allowing Jordan to
reach out to the Islamists' main regional patron.
4. (SBU) During a November 12 press conference, Minister of State
for Media and Communication Affairs Nasser Judah said relations
between Jordan and Qatar are now "better than ever before." He also
mentioned that both Jordan and Qatar have the same commitment to
returning the momentum to the peace process and establishing an
independent Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil - a key
point of difference between the two countries in the past.
5. (SBU) Ministry of Labor Secretary General Dr. Gazi Shbaikat
confirmed that Jordan and Qatar are in discussions over Jordanian
expatriate policies and procedures. Shbaikat agreed that falling oil
prices could harm Jordan through both a decline in foreign direct
investment in Jordan, as well as a decline in the hiring of
Jordanians abroad. He did not think that the number of Jordanian
expatriate workers would decline from current levels, estimated at
about 400,000 workers, nor did he expect many Jordanians to return,
but he was pessimistic about the potential for short-term job growth
in the Gulf. He added that Jordan's economy relies increasingly
heavily on foreign remittances which exceeded $3 billion between
January and August of this year.
Visit Amman's Classified Website at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman
Beecroft