JORDAN: POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT FURTHERS CAIRO

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 002516

SIPDIS
NOFORN

DEPT FOR NEA/ELA MGREGONIS
DEPT FOR S/P BEHRMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM KISL JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT FURTHERS CAIRO
SPEECH GOALS (3 OF 4)

REF: A. AMMAN 1676

B. AMMAN 2053

C. AMMAN 2385

D. AMMAN 2487

E. AMMAN 2515

Classified By: Classified by Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) This cable is the third of four cables following up
on the October visit to Amman of NSC Senior Director for
Global Engagement Pradeep Ramamurthy. It outlines aspects of
Embassy Amman's efforts to advance goals emphasized in the
President's June 4 speech in Cairo.


2. (S/NF) SUMMARY: Since President Obama's June 4 speech
in Cairo, Embassy Amman's political engagement and outreach
have focused on five areas of priority outlined by the
President -- countering violent extremism, fostering Middle
East peace, promoting democracy, promoting religious freedom,
and improving the status of women. Senior embassy officials
have maintained sustained engagement with Jordanian
leadership in a comprehensive approach to Middle East peace.
The Embassy has also begun a gradual process of
reestablishing contacts with Jordan's Islamist groups.
Political engagement on human rights, religious freedom, and
the status of women has produced tangible results in the form
of better laws and regulations. Training programs in these
same areas have enhanced implementation of new laws and
broadened understanding throughout Jordan's bureaucracy. END
SUMMARY.

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Countering Extremism/Engaging Islamists
--------------


3. (S/NF) On June 4 President Obama called for a new
beginning in dialogue with people of the Muslim faith on the
basis that we all suffer from violence by extremists. The
Embassy has begun a quiet yet deliberate process of
reestablishing contacts with Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood
(JMB) and the Islamic Action Front (IAF) political party,
relationships that have languished since September 11, 2001
(reftel C). The result has been a better understanding of
the organization, financing, and political and social
aspirations of Jordan's major Islamist groups.


4. (S/NF) In meetings, JMB/IAF members have offered candid
views of United States policy in the region, the Middle East
Peace Process, and their perceived role in Jordanian society.
The engagement had been viewed by some members of the
JMB/IAF as a positive step towards making good on President
Obama's promise of sincere and open dialogue with the Muslim
world.


5. (S/NF) JMB and IAF members have indicated they are eager
for more robust engagement in time. For example, they are
interested in participating in people-to-people exchanges
that would give them more exposure to American society and
values and provide them with an opportunity to express their
own views and aspirations to both American leaders and
citizens.

--------------
Middle East Peace
--------------


6. (S/NF) President Obama noted the tension caused by the
situation between Israelis, Palestinians, and the Arab world.
Jordan plays a key role in the peace process and engagement
on this issue has been on-going at the most senior levels.
Senior Embassy officials meet with the King and other senior
members of the Royal Court to encourage the King to publicly
endorse President Obama's goals for the peace negotiations
and to encourage the King's private efforts to generate
support among his counterparts in the region.

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Democracy and Human Rights
--------------


7. (U) In his speech, the President outlined the democratic
principles of civil liberties and respect for human rights
shared by all peoples in the world. The Embassy has expanded
its engagement with the Government of Jordan to improve its
human rights record. The Embassy maintains an open and frank
human rights dialogue with government agencies, civil

AMMAN 00002516 002 OF 003


society, and a range of institutions. For example, the
Embassy holds regular meetings with officials from the
Ministry of Interior and Public Security Directorate to
discuss a range of issues, including prison reform,
citizenship rights, and detention procedures. The government
regularly requests and receives training or other assistance
to further explore reform initiatives or improvements to its
human rights record.


8. (U) Political engagement led to Jordan's improvement of
its human trafficking record and the passage of a strong new
anti-trafficking law, which became effective in March 2009.
Jordan was subsequently removed from the Department's
Trafficking-in-Persons (TIP) Watch List in 2009. Now the
Embassy is partnering with the GOJ to implement the law. In
partnership with G/TIP and the Department of Justice, the
Embassy has delivered training to labor inspectors and
judges. Political engagement with the Jordanian National TIP
Committee is also leading to the establishment of a shelter
plan for victims, development of a national TIP strategy, and
formation of a TIP investigation unit.


9. (C) With a strong regulatory framework now in place,
Jordan is ready to focus on prevention and prosecution and to
implement victims assistance programs. Increased resources
would enhance our ability to partner with Jordan in three
areas: (a) training to inspectors, police, prosecutors, and
judges, (b) outreach to companies and employers to ensure
compliance with the new anti-trafficking law and increase
awareness about penalties, and (c) the implementation of more
comprehensive victim's assistance programs.


10. (C) The Embassy has also engaged on the issue of free
speech. In June, the Jordanian poet and journalist Islam
Samhan was convicted of "slandering Islam" and "insulting
religious sentiment" for his use of Koranic verses in his
book of poems. Embassy engagement with the Ministry of
Justice led to senior-level review of the case to ensure that
correct legal procedures were followed and to date Mr. Samhan
has not been imprisoned. The case also has served as vehicle
for discussing constraints to media freedom, helping to
sensitize officials and social leaders on free speech issues.

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Religious Freedom
--------------


11. (C) In Cairo, the President spoke of the tradition of
tolerance that is at the core of major religious faiths. The
Government of Jordan has worked in the last 30-years to
create a moderate infrastructure of religious institutions
that promote interfaith dialogue and understanding between
sects, especially between Muslims and Christians. (reftel B)
For example, Jordan established the Aal Al Bayt Institute
for Islamic Thought, the Royal Academy for Inter-Faith
Studies, and has hosted several visits by the Pope, most
recently in April 2009. Program engagement with these
Jordanian institutions would open new opportunities to
increase religious tolerance and freedom in Jordan through
initiatives at the community-level and with youth.


12. (C) Political engagement with Jordan on the subject of
religious freedom is focused, in part, on legal
discrimination experienced by members of minority religious
groups, such as the Druze, Baha'i, and Christian
denominations not recognized by the GOJ. The Embassy is also
working with the Ministry of Interior to remove religious
designations from national identification cards and other
public documents.

--------------
Status of Women
--------------


13. (C) The President said the United States would partner
with countries to enhance equality for women. Honor crimes
and domestic violence remain a significant challenge in
Jordan, which experienced 20 killings of women in the name of
honor between January and November 2009. Studies have also
shown that approximately one third of Jordanian women have
experienced domestic violence at one point in their lives.
Political engagement and USAID rule of law programs on the
subject of honor crimes have resulted in judicial changes,
including the establishment of a special Honor Crimes
Tribunal, amendments to the criminal code that limit the
ability of judges to reduce sentences, and improvements in
the Personal Status and Labor Laws. A year ago, perpetrators

AMMAN 00002516 003 OF 003


typically received six-month sentences as judges deemed the
perpetrators had acted in a "fit of fury." Now perpetrators
are being convicted of murder. The Tribunal, in its first
ruling, did not reduce jail time despite the victim's family
request. Embas
sy engagement with NGOs has also led key religious figures to
speak out against the practice, empowered NGOs to advocate
for reform of the penal code, and raised awareness,
particularly among rural women.


14. (C) Political engagement, coupled with assistance from
INL and USAID, is resulting in improvements to the
investigation and prosecution of domestic violence and
assistance to victims. For instance, amendments to the penal
code have been submitted for Parliament's consideration that
increases penalties for domestic violence and child abuse.
Assistance is targeted to assist the Public Security
Directorate's specialized Family Protection Unit and Criminal
Investigation Department and the prosecution to better work
with victims and investigate cases. Over 50 per cent of
graduates of Jordan's Judicial Institute are women.


15. (S/NF) Engagement with the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF)
has resulted in the establishment and strengthening of the
JAF's Women's Directorate which focuses on recruitment,
training, promotion, and retention of women in the Jordanian
military. As a result of the engagement, a specialized unit
which focuses on counter-terrorism strategies with Jordanian
women has been formed. In 2009, the JAF's most senior
ranking female officer was recently sent on a year-long
Counter-Terrorism training program at the National Defense
University. In 2010, $600,000 in Jordan's security
assistance funds will be reserved specifically for training
women in the armed forces.
Beecroft