JORDAN'S NEW CABINET: SUMMARY AND SELECTED BIOS

S E C R E T AMMAN 002804

NOFORN
SIPDIS

FOR NEA, NEA/ELA, AND INR/B

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S NEW CABINET: SUMMARY AND SELECTED BIOS

REF: AMMAN 02709

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


1. (C/NF) The 29-member cabinet was sworn in by King
Abdullah II on December 14. The new government, largely
technocrats, is made up of 16 new ministers and 13 who served
in the previous government. Of the new ministers, seven have
served in previous cabinets. PM Samir Rifa'i's cabinet
includes two women (down from four in the last government),
seven or eight Palestinian-Jordanians (depending on the
inclusion or exclusion of Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh)
compared to six or seven previously (based on the same
criteria),and one Circassian, new Culture Minister Nabih
Shuqum. (Comment: While Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh is
technically Palestinian-Jordanian, because his father is
Palestinian and was born in Ramallah, Judeh does not have the
social stigma that Jordanian East Bankers often associate
with Palestinian-Jordanians, and Judeh is not actively
considered Palestinian-Jordanian. End comment.)


2. (C/NF) Eleven ministers from the previous government
kept their portfolios, including the ministers of
Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, Health, Higher Education and
Scientific Research, Industry and Trade, Interior, Justice,
Political Development, Social Development, Tourism and
Antiquities, and Media Affairs and Communication. The
ministries of Energy and Mineral Resources and Transportation
are headed by ministers who held other portfolios in the
previous cabinet. One new ministry--the Ministry of State
for Mega-Projects--has been linked to the existing Ministry
of Public Sector Development under the same minister.
Palestinian-Jordanians lead the ministries of Justice, Social
Development, Agriculture, Education, Water and Irrigation,
Media Affairs and Communication, Environment, and Foreign
Affairs. Below are biographies for select ministers, based
on their anticipated level of interaction with U.S. officials
or their newness to the political scene.

NEW AND SOMEWHAT NEW FACES
--------------

Planning and International Cooperation Minister: Dr. Jafar
Hassan (East Banker)


3. (C/NF) Jafar Hassan, who has not previously held a
ministerial post, served in the Royal Court as head of the
International Affairs Directorate from 2006 until his
December 14 appointment as minister. Hassan joined the
Jordanian foreign service in 1991, and has served as DCM at
Jordan's U.S. Embassy (July 2001-06),briefly headed the
MFA's Israel desk, and was personal assistant to Princes
Talal (1999-2001) and Ghazi bin Mohammed (1993-95),two
cousins of King Abdullah. At Jordan's Mission to the UN
Offices at Geneva, Hassan was in charge of human rights and
humanitarian affairs (1992 and 1995-99). Hassan was born in
1968 in East Amman at Khreibat al-Souq. He obtained a PhD
and a masters degree in Political Science and International
Economics from Geneva University's Graduate Institute of
International and Development Studies. His PhD dissertation
focused on the challenges of state building in Jordan.
Hassan also has an MA in Public Administration (2006) from
Harvard and another in International Relations from Boston
University (1989). Hassan is married to Rana; the couple has
one infant daughter. Hassan speaks French and Bulgarian (his
mother is Bulgarian) and is fluent in Arabic and English.


4. (S/NF) COMMENT: Hassan is pro-reform and sees himself
not as a bureaucrat but as a professional diplomat. His
shift from the palace to MOPIC is a curious move. A
Hassan-led MOPIC is positive on one hand because he earned a
reputation as hardworking, competent, and knowledgeable
during his time in the Royal Court, but it is negative on the
other because it leaves a gaping hole in the Court where he
and his staff were critical in drafting and formulating
substantive GOJ policies. One senior Jordanian official told
the Ambassador that some of Hassan's former responsibilities
in the Royal Court may be taken up by his younger brother,
Harun Hassan, who is building his own reputation there as a
highly intelligent, knowledgeable official. Jafar Hassan may
accomplish more in his MOPIC role than his predecessor,
Suhair al-Ali, because of his access to and level of comfort
with King Abdullah and Royal Court Chief Nasser Lozi.
Hassan's confidence that he has recourse to the Royal Court
also may help him show more flexibility in terms of MOPIC
decisionmaking. For example, while Ali refused to allow or
support a census of Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Hassan's
subordinates have already contacted Embassy officials
to

suggest that a sector-by-sector needs assessment be
conducted. This census will, in effect, reveal a more
accurate number of Iraqi refugees in Jordan and what their
needs are. END COMMENT.

Finance Minister: Mohammad Abu Hammour (East Banker)


5. (C/NF) Mohammad Abu Hammour most recently served as
chairman of the board of the Arab Potash Company (October
2007-December 2009),which was strengthened under his tenure
as a result of his leadership and an increased global demand
for fertilizer and biofuels. Prior to his work with the Arab
Potash Company, Abu Hammour was chairman of Jordan's
Executive Privatization Committee, where he worked closely
with USAID on key projects including privatizing Jordan's
telephone company and Royal Jordanian airlines. Abu Hammour
was Finance Minister from October 2003-April 2005, served as
Secretary General of the Ministry late 2000-July 2003, and
worked for several years in various Finance Ministry offices
before 2000. From July 2003-October 2003, he served as
Minister of Trade and Industry. Abu Hammour, born in Salt in
1961, holds a BA in Economics from Yarmouk University (1984),
an MA in Economics from Jordan University (1990),and a PhD
in Economics from Surrey University in the United Kingdom
(1997). He worked at the Central Bank of Jordan during
1997-98 and at the University of Jordan as a part-time
lecturer and member of masters dissertation committees in
1998-99. Abu Hammour is married; his wife's name is Salam.
(COMMENT: Abu Hammour is described as a hardworking,
respected, serious financial technocrat and as a protege of
former Finance Minister and current Arab Bank CEO Michel
Marto. Abu Hammour speaks English. END COMMENT.)


Minister of Public Sector Development and Minister of State
for Mega-Projects: Imad Fakhoury (East Banker)


6. (C/NF) Fakhoury, born in 1968, is a Christian whose
family comes from Salt. Fakhoury briefly attended the
University of California at Berkeley before transferring to
Case Western Reserve University, where he received a BSc in
biomedical engineering and an MSc in Engineering Management.
He subsequently received an MA in Public Policy from
Harvard's Kennedy School and an MBA from Northwestern's
Kellogg School. In the early 1990s Fakhoury worked at the
United Nations Development Program in New York City where he
served as regional program and policy manager in its bureau
for Arab states. In 1995 he served as part of the team that
established Jordan's Tel Aviv Embassy following the signing
of the 1994 peace treaty with Israel. In 1999 Fakhoury
worked for Century Investment Group in Jordan. In 2001,
Fakhoury became the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority
(ASEZA) Commissioner for Investment and Economic Development.
By 2004, Fakhoury was ASEZA's Deputy Chief Commissioner and
often served as acting chief under former Prime Minister
Nader Dahabi. From 2004 until his December 14 appointment as
Minister, Fakhoury was chairman and CEO of the ASEZA's
implementation arm, the Aqaba Development Corporation.


7. (S/NF) COMMENT: Fakhoury is reform-minded, exudes energy
(to such an extent that he is "hyper"),and is extremely
active and engaged in meetings. He is dynamic, capable, and
someone who has an outstanding professional reputation as
"talent" who can get things done in whatever area needed.
Fakhoury's new mega-projects ministry is anticipated by
several USAID officials to have a large role in Jordan's
renewed decentralization efforts, but it is unclear how or to
what extent. Fakhoury is married; his wife's name is Reem.
He speaks fluent, idiomatic English. END COMMENT.

Minister of Labor: Ibrahim Omoush (East Banker)


8. (SBU) Omoush, an established corporate lawyer but
political novice, has not held a ministerial post previously,
nor does he appear to have a background in labor-related
issues. After receiving a bachelor's degree and diploma in
law from Jordan University, Omoush earned a PhD in Commercial
Law from the University of Edinburgh. A member of the Jordan
Bar Association, he has also taught and served as assistant
dean at Jordan University's faculty of law. (COMMENT: Despite
his lack of expertise, Embassy contacts in the Labor Ministry
have said since his appointment that Omoush may help bring
new thinking and innovation to the Ministry. END COMMENT.)

A HOLDOVER IN A DIFFERENT MINISTRY
--------------

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources: Khalid Irani (East
Banker)


9. (C/NF) Irani has moved to head MEMR after leading the
Environment Ministry under three separate prime ministers
during 2005-2009. Born in 1964, Irani earned a BSc in Soils
Engineering (1986) and MSc in Land Usage (1989) from the
University of Jordan. Formerly a research assistant at the
University of Jordan and manager of the Protected Areas
Department at the Royal Society for the Conservation of
Nature (RSCN),Irani was Director General of the RSCN from
1996-April 2005. He has worked closely with USAID on
numerous projects, and has occasionally gone on hikes with
Embassy officers and their families. Irani traveled to the
U.S. on an International Visitor Leadership Program on
national parks management in 1991 and on an IV program in

1993. (COMMENT: Irani is generally seen by USAID officers
who have worked with him as an "idea guy" more than an
administrator, but the Environment Ministry became a viable
institution under Irani's leadership. Diplomats who know him
personally say that Irani has visited 26 U.S. national parks
and that he is well-connected to various U.S. organizations,
particularly the U.S. Forest Service. The Minister espouses
openness and is a fan of modern technology and social
networking; he tweets regularly as "irani1." Irani is
married; his wife's name is Samar. The couple has two sons:
Manaf, a high school sophomore, and Hashem, who is in fifth
grade. Irani speaks English. END COMMENT.)

HOLDOVERS FROM THE DAHABI GOVERNMENT
--------------

Foreign Minister: Nasser Judeh (Palestinian-Jordanian)


10. (C/NF) Judeh has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs
since February 2009. He was born in Amman in 1960 and
received his secondary education at a boarding school in the
United Kingdom. He holds a BA from Georgetown's School of
Foreign Service (1982) and an MA from American University.
He previously served at the Royal Court, first in King
Hussein's Press Office and later as private secretary to
Prince Hassan. In 1992 he was posted to London to establish
and head the Jordan Information Bureau. Judeh was appointed
director of Jordan Television (1994) and director of the
Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (1998). He is a
former Minister of Information (1998-99) and became Minister
of State for Media Affairs (2007-February 2009) when his
position as official government spokesman (2005-07) was
elevated to ministerial rank. Judeh is divorced from
Princess Sumaya, President of the Royal Scientific Society
and a daughter of Prince Hassan; the couple has 4 children.
The three oldest children attend boarding school in the
United Kingdom. Judeh is the son of former Prime Minister
Sami Judeh, nephew through his mother of former Prime
Minister and Senate speaker Zayd al-Rifa'i, and is the cousin
of current Prime Minister Samir Rifa'i. Nasser Judeh speaks
fluent, idiomatic English.


11. (S/NF) COMMENT: Judeh comes to meetings well prepared
and spends much of his time focused on peace process-related
issues. When he is angry or upset, his English slips from an
American accent to a minor but perceptible British one. END
COMMENT.

Political Development Minister: Musa Ma'aytah (East Banker)


12. (S/NF) A holdover from the previous cabinet and in
office since February 2009, Ma'aytah was born in Irbid in
1954 and has an MA in Communications Engineering from the
University of Bucharest (1981). Ma'aytah has a long history
of political activism in support of leftist causes, many of
which survived government crackdowns due to their political
irrelevance. Following the legalization of socialist and
communist parties in 1990, Ma'aytah founded the Democratic
Socialist Party. When that effort failed to take root, he
founded the United Democratic Party, later renamed the
Democratic Party of the Left. That party was disbanded by
the government in 2008 following the enactment of a new
political parties law. The law required that every party
have at least 500 members, and Ma'aytah's party failed to
make the cut.


13. (S/NF) COMMENT: Ma'aytah interacts frequently with
domestic media outlets and has the appearance of someone
plugged into the political scene, but he is generally not
taken seriously (because he is "from the looney left" by
conservative Jordanian standards) and has long been
considered a political lightweight with little influence. He
has received little respect or cooperation in the past from
other ministries or ministers, something that is not likely
to change. Ma'aytah speaks English, but understands better

than he speaks. END COMMENT.

Justice Minister: Ayman Odeh (Palestinian-Jordanian)


14. (C/NF) Odeh was born in 1961, and has a BA in Law from
the University of Jordan (1982),along with an MA from the
University of Miami (1984). He was a member of Jordan's
first Anti-Corruption Commission, and served on the "We Are
All Jordan" committee. Odeh and his wife Lama are parents to
two sons: Ghaith is in junior high school and their elder
son, Mehdi, was killed in a car accident in 2008 when he was
a high school senior. The minister is fluent in French and
speaks English.


15. (S/NF) COMMENT: Odeh is a well-respected, competent,
pro-reform minister who is working to push reforms within his
Ministry's purview despite their unpopularity with some of
his subordinates and some of his conservative former cabinet
colleagues. Embassy officials describe him as honest,
straightforward, and deliberative. Senior U.S. officials who
have met with him say Odeh appreciates give and take in
meetings but often appears quiet and pensive, especially when
he is presented with a previously unconsidered idea. Other
officials say that Odeh sometimes mumbles in the affirmative
to his interlocutors during meetings, this appears to signal
that he understands the issue and is ready to move forward.
Some officials have not been distracted by this, but others
highlight it as something to know before going into a meeting
with him. END COMMENT.

Minister of Industry and Trade: Amer Hadidi (East Banker)


16. (C/NF) Hadidi, a strong technocrat, has led MOIT since
he was first appointed in November 2007 by then-premier Nader
Dahabi. Hadidi was born in 1968 and has a BSc in Mechanical
Engineering from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut.
After earning his degree, he worked as a project engineer at
the Industrial Development Bank and served as Secretary
General of the Ministry of Transport. Hadidi is a long-time
participant in USAID projects through the Jordanian-U.S.
Business Partnership. In the past, he was heavily involved
with negotiating Jordan's Free Trade Agreements. Hadidi is
married; his wife's name is Abeer. He speaks English
fluently.


17. (S/NF) COMMENT: Hadidi is reform-minded and seen as
aggressive in his desire to accomplish tasks within his
ministry. Senior US officials say Hadidi is frustrated and
impatient when it comes to issues that he sees as problems,
but is unable to address them because the issues are outside
his purview. The Minister can be highly critical of peers
that he perceives to be incompetent. The same officials
describe Hadidi as being focused and intense, but generally
polite, in meetings. They say that in private, Hadidi is
sharp-tongued and can be blunt to the point of being
"caustic," particularly when discussing his own government
and what he sees as the GOJ's mishandling of Jordan's
economy. Mid-level managers at MOIT give Hadidi mixed
reviews. They acknowledge that he is first and foremost a
politician in his role as Minister, but they accuse him of
being too much a politician. For example, they say he
succumbed to political pressure and did not act in the
interests of a free-market economy when he, following the
lead of more senior, former officials, supported initiatives
like MOIT re-entry into the purchase of basic goods.
Advocates argued that this MOIT re-entry would help to
alleviate the impact of inflation and high food prices on
Jordan's poor, but opponents argued that it would also be a
step back in terms of Jordan's economic policy. END COMMENT.
Beecroft