JORDANIANS URGE ACTING A/S FELTMAN TO BE CLEAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 001354 SIPDIS NEA/FO, NEA/ELA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL IS SY JO SUBJECT: JORDANIANS URGE ACTING A/S FELTMAN TO BE CLEAR ABOUT USG EXPECATIONS OF SYRIA Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On June 14, Acting A/S Feltman visited Amman to discuss regional issues with Chief of the Royal Court (CORC) Nasser Lozi and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh. The Jordanians said that they were pleased with the election results in Lebanon and believe that the opposition will relinquish claims to a blocking third in the cabinet if March 14 victors provide guarantees about the status of Hizballah weapons. Turning to Syria, FM Judeh stressed the importance of clearly outlining USG expectations for Syrian deliverables in order to maintain momentum on the bilateral dialogue. Judeh also advised Acting A/S Feltman to reiterate exactly the same points -- for emphasis -- during his upcoming meetings in Qatar. End Summary. A New Syrian Ambassador For Jordan -------------- ¶2. (C) CORC Lozi hosted Acting A/S Feltman, the Ambassador, Oni Blair, NEA Staff Assistant, and PolChief at the Royal Court. The FM, Royal Court Advisor Ayman Safadi, and Jaffar Hassan also attended. Apologizing for the brief and combined meeting, Lozi said that the King was receiving the credentials of new ambassadors that morning. The ceremony included the new Syrian Ambassador to Jordan, Bajhat Sulayman, a former brigadier general with the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate. Lebanese Elections: A Credit to Hariri and A Boost to President Sleiman -------------- ¶3. (C) When Acting A/S Feltman asked for the Jordanians' reaction to the Lebanese election, Safadi said that he has been in contact with a variety of Lebanese leaders since the June 7 results were announced. All parties agree that Saad Hariri, the Majority Parliamentary leader, achieved an electoral victory that, by no means, had been guaranteed. Safadi believes the elections confirm the deep division among Lebanese Maronites and Free Patriotic Michel Aoun's weakened stature as the man unable to "deliver" a Maronite victory to his Hizballah and Amal March 8 coalition partners. ¶4. (C) Safadi also believes that President Michel Sleiman's position as the political leader of the Lebanese Maronites has been strengthened in light of Aoun's defeat. He believes a blocking third in the cabinet will be given by March 14 to the President, who is seen as a more neutral figure than the March 8 leaders. In exchange, Safadi said that Hizballah will press Saad Hariri for concrete guarantees on the status of Hizballah arms for the "resisitance." The Jordanians were surprised to learn that Syria had not mentioned or pushed for a blocking third for the opposition in the new Lebanese cabinet during recent conversations in Damascus. "You Must Be Quite Clear With Syria" -------------- ¶5. (C) FM Judeh mentioned that he had recently spoken with Syrian FM Mu'allem, who believes that a "roadmap" is needed for future U.S./Syrian engagement. Mu'allem has indicated that he is unwilling to speak about border security issues without a detailed agenda and deliverables which also address a wider list or "package" of economic and diplomatic issues. Safadi said he believed Syria was currently at a crossroads, after the recent visits from Acting A/S Feltman and National Security Council Senior Director Dan Shapiro, the phone call from the Secretary, and the visit of Special Envoy Mitchell. "You've given them quite a bit in recent months, but now you must be crystal clear about what you expect in return if they wish the engagement to continue," said Safadi. The FM agreed by saying, "Unless you clarify and reconfirm a summary of deliverables, they could become complacent with the 'gains' they have already achieved. The Mitchell visit (and photo op) was very important to them." ¶6. (C) When asked by Acting A/S Feltman, the Jordanians said the most important regional contribution Syria could make would be to pressure Hamas on reconciliation with the Palestinian Authority (PA). "They can absolutely do this," said Lozi. Hassan believes the Syrians will only do this if it is part of a renewed offer of negotiations with Israel. FM Judeh said that Syrian President Assad told King Abdullah that he would cease his support for Hamas if the Golan Heights were returned and there was comprehensive Middle East peace agreement. "Reiterate Points from Damascus When Visiting Doha" -------------- ¶7. (C) Upon learning that Acting A/S Feltman would be traveling to Qatar, the Jordanians offered the following suggestions: -- Reiterate everything that was said to the Syrians. Judeh believes that Qatar can help to reemphasize key USG points that may be misinterpreted or ignored by the Syrians. -- Repeat calls for Hamas reconciliation with the PA. Judeh said that, like Syria, Qatar has the ability to effectively press Hamas, or at the very least to control the inflammatory public statements that are issued. -- Protest the negative influence that Al Jazeera plays in the region. According to Lozi, this news organization is under Qatari control and has an enormous influence over regional public opinion. "They can say all the right things in private, but then they turn around and inflame the Arab street. This is not helpful and we have passed this message to them very clearly." -- Finally, urge them to not interfere in the formation of the Lebanese cabinet. Though the Emir of Qatar only mentioned Lebanon briefly during his recent meeting with King Abdullah, FM Judeh urged Acting A/S Feltman to stress the importance of Lebanese autonomy for internal political decisions. He believes that Qatar has enjoyed its position of influence since brokering the end to violence and a political stalemate in May 2008 and may be reluctant to "step aside" after the successful elections. ¶8. (C) Acting A/S Feltman has cleared this message. Beecroft