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RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHAM #3219 3360615
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 010615Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3915
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 003219 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2018 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S ASSOCIATIONS LAW LIKELY TO TAKE EFFECT AS 
DEBATE ON AMENDMENTS CREEPS AHEAD 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 3117 AND PREVIOUS 
     ¶B. AMMAN 2701 
 
Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) When the King endorsed Jordan's controversial Law on 
Associations in September, he exacted a promise from PM Nader 
Al-Dahabi to amend the bill before it becomes the law of the 
land (Ref A).  With that date (December 15) now just around 
the corner, civil society and government contacts are telling 
us of increased activity on the law within the government, 
suggesting movement on bringing the proposed amendments to 
parliament. 
 
¶2.  (C) According to Nadia Al-Aloul, one of the sixteen NGO 
leaders involved in drafting the amendments, the original 
list of eight suggested changes is now down to four.  In 
priority order, the amendments (summarized Ref B) deal with 
freedom of operation, foreign funding, dissolution, and 
registration.  Civil society leaders remain hopeful that the 
process will result in a favorable outcome, but Aloul said 
that they are also "scared of making a wrong step that will 
cause the entire process to fall apart."  As a result, they 
are erring on the side of caution, refraining from asking for 
status updates or complaining about lack of progress in the 
hopes that their champions in the government will deliver the 
amendments. 
 
¶3.  (C) At the same time that their hopes are being raised, 
contacts tell us that disagreements over how to proceed are 
rampant in the cabinet.  The question of registration is a 
key fault line, with security-oriented ministers arguing for 
extensive government reviews and permissions for new NGOs and 
reformist ministers arguing for simpler procedures.  Denial 
of non-profit status is a similar issue, with some pushing 
for vague provisions which would allow for flexibility and 
others arguing for a law that requires the government to 
provide justification for any denial of non-profit status. 
Some ministries (Industry and Trade, for one) are even 
promoting a return to parts of the 1966 law, which allowed 
them to register certain NGOs and regulate their activities 
-- a move that would effectively annul one of the few 
benefits of the version passed in July, which consolidated 
authority over NGOs into a single ministry. 
 
¶4.  (C) It seems likely that the law passed in July will 
enter into effect on December 15 before amendments can be 
passed.  In preparation for this eventuality, the Ministry of 
Social Development has prepared regulations which the cabinet 
can quickly endorse as a short-term salve.  These regulations 
go some way towards addressing the pernicious issue of 
foreign funding of Jordanian NGOs, which requires cabinet 
permission under the law as passed.  Under the regulations, 
foreign governments, United Nations agencies, and 
international NGOs with Jordanian branches will be exempted 
from this requirement.  In an interesting twist, the 
regulations reportedly create specific loopholes for the 
sixteen NGOs whose leaders asked the King to veto the law -- 
a move either designed to buy their silence or reward them 
for speaking out. 
 
¶5.  (C) Comment:  Despite the PM's previous promise to give 
the amendments "urgent status," the parliament will likely 
take its time with the amendments, essentially ensuring that 
the law will enter into force on December 15.  As reported 
Ref A, parliament remains a blind spot for most proponents of 
the bill, who significantly underestimate the ability of 
security-minded conservative MPs to undo the progress already 
made.  In our meetings with NGO leaders and government 
officials, we are quietly reminding them of the necessity to 
create buy-in among MPs before the amendments are introduced 
in parliament.  End Comment. 
Beecroft