CORRECTED VERSION: ASSOCIATIONS LAW AMENDMENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000942

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2019
TAGS: PGOV EAID KDEM JO
SUBJECT: CORRECTED VERSION: ASSOCIATIONS LAW AMENDMENTS
SENT TO JORDAN'S PARLIAMENT

REF: A. AMMAN 450

B. 08 AMMAN 2300

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Natalie E. Brown
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

Note: Classification line changed to reflect correct
classifier. End Note.


1. (C) Summary: Amendments to a 2008 law that increased
regulatory burdens and government oversight over civil
society were endorsed by Jordan's cabinet on March 24 and
will now be considered by parliament (Ref A). Divisions
about the draft amendments have already arisen among the
civil society coalition which helped to formulate them, with
some NGO leaders calling for further concessions from the
government. Minister of Social Development Hala Lattouf is
attempting to manage the expectations of vocal civil society
leaders while convincing skeptical MPs that the amendments
are in Jordan's best interest. End Summary.

Cabinet Endorses Amendments
--------------


2. (SBU) Following months of internal negotiation, Jordan's
cabinet endorsed draft amendments to the controversial Law on
Associations on March 24 with no changes from a draft
previously circulated in February (outlined in Ref A). The
amendments, written in consultation with a coalition of
sixteen civil society organizations, were designed to blunt
the impact of a 2008 law which drew international criticism
for dramatically increasing the regulatory burdens and
government oversight over civil society. The cabinet's
endorsement makes it almost certain that the amendments will
appear during an expected summer extraordinary session of
Jordan's parliament, after which they would be sent to the
King for endorsement and publication in the Official Gazette.

Rejectionists Complain, Government Prepares
--------------


3. (C) While most of our civil society contacts see the
amendments as the best deal they are likely to get in the
near term, a smaller circle of activists may be putting the
amendments in jeopardy by pushing publicly for concessions
beyond those painstakingly negotiated over several months
with the government. The sixteen civil society organizations
that negotiated changes to the law are already planning to
suggest further amendments in the future, but a minority in
the group are insisting that the changes be enacted in this
round rather than in a future negotiation.


4. (C) Rather than pushing their case behind the scenes, the
all-or-nothing group is taking its cause to the media. The
head of the Jordanian Women's Union, an umbrella organization
for NGOs dealing with women's issues, told the English
language Jordan Times on April 4 that "the amendments are
positive, but they do not meet our expectations or demands."
Other members of the vocal minority told poloff that the
amendments were "artificial changes," and that they were
"prepared to make a big issue" out of them once they appeared
in parliament. Blustery comments aside, even the
rejectionists reluctantly acknowledge that the amendments are
better than the 2008 law. Yet in public forums, they are
still pushing for a law that meets "international standards,"
regardless of parliament's willingness to pass it.


5. (C) Minister Lattouf, who has privately expressed her
doubts to us about the amendments' passage, also warned civil
society activists that pushing for further concessions will
likely produce a backlash that could lead to their defeat or
alteration (Ref A). Lattouf met with members of parliament's
labor and social affairs committee the week of April 12 to
explain the reasoning behind the amendments and convince
security-minded conservatives of their value. As part of a
media strategy formulated under a USAID-funded program,
Lattouf is also meeting with newspaper editors and columnists
to lay the groundwork for the amendments' public release
ahead of the parliamentary session.

The View from Parliament
--------------


6. (C) Parliamentary contacts are not yet focused on the
details of the amendments but unanimously have expressed
their opposition to loosening state control over civil
society groups, particularly those perceived to be engaged in
political activity. Most see the 2008 law as a positive
development that increases the power of the state to oversee
Islamist groups and prevent infiltration of charities by
radical elements (Ref B). They insist that government
control over civil society groups is necessary to maintain

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Jordan's stability, and argue that civil society groups could
be used by outside (read: Palestinian/Islamist) forces to
undermine the foundation of Hashemite rule.

Comment
--------------


7. (C) Looking ahead to parliamentary consideration of the
amendments, strong government support and minimal public
commentary from civil society will be crucial to their
passage. In 2008, shrill criticism of the law by civil
society leaders (including some of those who are now calling
for further concessions) created a wave of ill will in
parliament, which many MPs still remember. Weak explanations
of the law and lack of clear instructions from the government
led to changes in the draft law while under debate in
parliament, which placed further regulatory burdens on civil
society. As the amendments go forward, there is a real risk
that history will repeat itself -- civil society is once
again divided on what it will accept, and the government has
only recently begun its campaign to bring highly skeptical
MPs on board.

Visit Embassy Amman's Website
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/
Brown