VZCZCXRO7107
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHGI RUEHJS RUEHKUK RUEHLH
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHAM #1676/01 2081148
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271148Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5591
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 AMMAN 001676 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA, NEA/ELA (GREGONIS), AND S/P (BEHRMAN) 
STATE PASS USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREL OEXC SOCI JO
SUBJECT:  EMBASSY AMMAN'S FOLLOW UP TO THE PRESIDENT'S CAIRO SPEECH 
AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE USG ACTION 
 
REFS:  A) DOHA 458 
       B) ABU DHABI 713 
       C) STATE 71325 
       D) AMMAN 1287 
       E) AMMAN 1634 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  As reported in refs D and E, the President's 
June 4 speech in Cairo was generally well received in Jordan.  Most 
Jordanian audiences focused on language related to the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but they nevertheless expect and look 
for increased engagement stemming from the initiatives outlined in 
the President's remarks.  Embassy Amman already manages a broad 
range of programs that target policy priorities as identified by the 
President.  Post recommends maintaining funding levels in Jordan to 
continue activities that have successfully advanced democratic 
values, encouraged religious freedom, promoted women's rights, and 
spread other U.S. values.  Increased resources, in Jordan and 
elsewhere, would enable the U.S. to pursue partnerships in Science 
and Technology, an under-exploited are where the Muslim world 
recognizes and appreciates American ingenuity and expertise. 
Whether through existing regional institutions or new initiatives 
such as the proposed Arab-American Science Partnership, 
opportunities exist.  Like other posts in the region, Embassy Amman 
also believes that efforts to better balance security needs with 
facilitating the travel and admission to the U.S. of those we seek 
to engage is essential to implementation of the President's 
initiatives.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) U.S.-Jordan relations remain extremely close and Embassy 
Amman manages a robust bilateral assistance program in Jordan that 
is already active in many of the policy priority areas identified by 
the President, including countering violent extremism, Middle East 
peace, nuclear proliferation, democracy and human rights, religious 
freedom, women's rights, and advancing social and economic 
opportunity.  Given this close relationship and the nature of U.S. 
engagement, Post drew from its regular interactions with GOJ 
officials, civil society, the business community, and the media as 
part of the consultative process to elicit input on the desires and 
needs of local communities.  These activities included, but were not 
limited to: 
 
-- A web chat with the Ambassador following the Cairo speech; 
 
-- A June 15 speech by the Ambassador to members of Jordan's seven 
Rotary Clubs which was followed by a question and answer session; 
 
-- The Ambassador's participation in a gala dinner, which included 
remarks as well as a question and answer period, celebrating the 
tenth anniversary of the American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan; 
 
-- A reception hosted by the Ambassador for U.S. congressional staff 
members on a Jordan-funded orientation trip.  Jordanian guests 
included local civil society contacts, journalists, and government 
representatives. 
 
--  Through "the Ibrahim Interfaith Dialogue Project in the Middle 
East," the Embassy arranged for eight U.S. undergraduate students 
and faculty visiting the region from June 18-22, to speak with 
interfaith leaders in Jordan, including a prominent dean of Shari'a 
and Islamic Studies; directors of the King Abdullah II Center for 
Training of Imams; leaders from the Royal Institute for Interfaith 
Studies; and the director of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence 
Research Center.  In many of the meetings, EmbOffs   noted that the 
Jordanian counterparts expressed their appreciation for the 
President's speech and outreach to the Muslim world, and emphasized 
the need for more people-to-people exchanges. 
 
¶3.  (U)  These outreach activities reconfirmed that in Jordan, U.S. 
engagement is appreciated, making a difference, and targeting the 
right audiences and areas.  The common request was for the U.S. to 
simply do more across the board.  The common complaint, as 
recognized in refs A, B, and C was that the visa clearance process 
impedes the dialogue the President seeks to promote.  Post concurs 
with embassies Abu Dhabi and Doha that additional resources are 
needed to strengthen interagency coordination in expediting the 
necessary security clearances so that legitimate travelers are able 
to enter the U.S. for business, education, or tourism, which all 
contribute to building cross-cultural bridges.  Other challenges to 
program implementation include a lack of English language 
proficiency, required for the global nature of some activities, 
especially those related to business development and 
entrepreneurship, as well as the "brain drain," which particularly 
affects Jordan whose skilled workers seek employment in more 
lucrative markets. 
 
Human Development 
----------------- 
 
 
AMMAN 00001676  002 OF 005 
 
 
¶4.  (U)  Given the long history of U.S. engagement in Jordan, there 
are many programs - past and present - that have helped to advance 
themes the President identified.  Post has had particular success in 
"Education for Employment Opportunities" where USAID has worked to 
prepare youth for the job market and then connected them with the 
potential employers.   USAID's programs, linked to its economic and 
education portfolios, reach more than 85,000 youth annually with 
training and job skills.  Examples of these programs include: 
 
--  Supporting the Ministry of Education in establishing 
school-to-career programs to give students the skills they need to 
participate productively in the workforce.  The programs provide 
high school students with counseling as to potential future careers 
and also place students in internships to gain practical experience. 
 In addition to this successful USAID program, Post's Management 
Section administers a summer internship program for college 
students, placing them in Embassy offices where they can improve 
their English language skills and refine office and interpersonal 
skills for use in the job market.  The 25-year-old program has 
placed annually an average of 15-20 interns throughout the Embassy. 
Currently 16 former interns are now working at the Embassy, having 
been hired through the normal employment application process. 
 
--  Establishing the INJAZ (Arabic for "achievement) program to 
strengthen the entrepreneurial skills among Jordanian youth - 
including development of courses for high school and university 
students, and training of over teachers and youth center staff on 
the INJAZ curricula.  The program currently enrolls an average of 
50,000 students annually. 
 
--  Establishing the MAHARAT (Arabic for "skills") internship 
program, run by a Jordanian NGO, which provides training, mentoring 
and work experiences to link university graduates with the job 
market. 
 
--  Supporting the implementation of the Jordan National Tourism 
Strategy to help enhance Jordan's competitiveness as an 
international tourism destination.  This includes working with the 
Vocational Training Corporation's Hotel and Tourism Centers to 
develop programs to attract students to the tourism sector and help 
them develop the behaviors and skills needed to work in the 
hospitality industry.  The program is noteworthy in its success in 
overcoming Jordan's culture of shame which frowns on employment, 
especially for women, in this service sector. 
 
--  Supporting workforce development through USAID's Economic 
Development Project to help Jordan develop a skilled labor force 
that can meet the labor market demands now and into the future, and 
to develop the policies and practices to sustain that effort over 
time.  Specific focus is given to: workforce development policies 
and practices at local and national levels; public/private 
partnerships with education and training institutions; 
pre-employment career and skill development especially for youth and 
women; and building the capacity of firms and institutions to 
provide on the job training to enhance productivity in relevant 
skills and industries. 
 
--  Launching a new collaborative effort with the Government of 
Jordan, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations that 
will provide marginalized, out-of-school, and/or unemployed youth 
between 15 and 24-years-old with the necessary skills to find 
employment, become active and positive agents of change within their 
communities, lead healthier lifestyles, access public services that 
are youth friendly and respond to their needs, and connect 
disadvantaged youth to mainstream economic and social 
opportunities. 
 
Entrepreneurship 
---------------- 
 
¶5.  (U)  In support of "Networks for Employment Opportunities," 
USAID is also working with the private sector to improve its 
competitiveness and innovativeness in an effort to create more jobs 
at these establishments in order to absorb the growing number of 
entrants into the job market.  More than  6,500 Jordanians were 
matched with jobs via USAID-supported job fairs and programs last 
year, including over 2,200 women.  USAID also has a new program 
aimed at engaging disadvantaged youth in their communities and 
equipping them with life and job skills training.  Ongoing efforts 
include: 
 
--  Working with priority sectors (such as medical services, 
information and communications technology, business process and 
outsourcing services, regional tourism, light manufacturing) to 
improve their product and service offerings, and increase their 
market access. 
 
--  Supporting SMEs to develop, grow and become more competitive in 
 
AMMAN 00001676  003 OF 005 
 
 
the global market by providing them with business development 
services and enhancing business linkages (especially U.S.-Jordanian) 
through bilateral trade and alliances. 
 
--  Working with business associations to serve as partners in 
sustainable economic transformation. 
 
--  Improving Jordan's institutional and policy framework to promote 
investment, develop trade, and enhance the competitiveness and 
productivity of Jordanian firms. 
 
--  Helping reduce public sector constraints on the growth, 
innovation, and productivity of the private sector in Jordan. 
 
Interfaith Partnership 
---------------------- 
 
¶6. (U)  Public Diplomacy events, both media outreach and cultural 
activities, reinforce the President's message of mutual respect, 
peace, advancement, partnership and target diverse audiences 
including civil society, the private sector, the government, youth, 
and women to implement and amplify these initiatives. 
 
--  A variety of exchange programs focus on the specific initiatives 
outlined in the June 4 speech.  In the area of Human Development, 
Post is expanding program opportunities and outreach for women and 
youth, such as developing a proposal for a new "Women's Empowerment" 
exchange program for the next fiscal year and launching a series of 
activities to publicize study opportunities in the U.S., including 
through a college fair in Amman this October and a youth leadership 
conference for IV program alumni next February.  As part of its 
public outreach program, USAID will host an International Youth Day 
event on August 12 in Jerash; 500 students are expected to attend. 
 
 
--  Many programs, including those under Middle East Partnership 
Initiative (MEPI) grants, are supporting projects in the area of 
Entrepreneurship and Interfaith Partnership.  In the area of Science 
and Technology, Post has several exchange programs in the works that 
focus on pandemic diseases, renewable energy, and other 
environmental issues. 
 
--  For the Ramadan season, the Embassy plans to send SMS text 
messages to contacts to wish them happy holidays as well as host an 
iftar event following a community service project to be coordinated 
with Jordanian counterparts.  USAID will also host two iftars to 
reach out to Muslim youth.  In addition, Post will organize talks at 
the American Language Center, one of which will focus on "Muslim 
Life in America." 
 
--  Several upcoming public diplomacy exchange programs focus on the 
Muslim religious community in particular.  The Embassy is 
coordinating an International Visitor program, "Interfaith Dialogue 
and Religion in the U.S.," for seven contacts from the Ministry of 
Endowments ("Awqaf") scheduled for September 28-October 16.  In 
addition, PD staff is planning a similar program for eight female 
religious leaders ("Wa'ethat") for February 2010.  Both programs 
will connect participants with scholars, religious leaders, and 
interfaith leaders in the U.S. 
 
--  Furthermore, Post is pursuing new opportunities for the 
Ambassador to go on the record in interviews with radio and 
television stations in speaking about such key "Cairo" issues as 
youth/education, health, science and technology and interfaith 
partnerships.  We are also exploring ways to expand usage of blogs, 
webchats, twitter, and Facebook to exchange opinions with Jordanian 
youth. 
 
Science and Technology 
---------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Post also considers Science and Technology (S&T) as an 
under-exploited area that offers numerous possibilities for 
exchanges and partnerships, internships, and job creation. 
Unfortunately, most of the S&T institutions in the NEA region are 
relatively weak.  They suffer from insufficient financial and human 
capacity, weak institutional mechanisms and legal frameworks (such 
as IPR enforcement), lack of a national science policy framework to 
support their work, lack of true linkages to the private sector, and 
most importantly, lack of a "social contract" between the 
scientist-inventor and society which would galvanize the virtuous 
circle of research-innovation-commercialization. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Despite recognition of these S&T weakness in the Arab 
world, few viable solutions have been articulated.   The S&T 
deliverables outlined in the Cairo speech have raised expectations 
and those in the regional S&T community eagerly await next steps 
from the USG.  More of the same - i.e., repackaging existing 
 
AMMAN 00001676  004 OF 005 
 
 
programs as deliverables - will not be well received among our 
interlocutors.  Embassy Amman believes the proposal for the Year of 
the Arab-American Science Partnership (AASP) developed by the Amman 
ESTH Hub Office, has a strong synergy with the S&T initiatives 
identified in the President's speech and its implementation would 
result in enduring benefits for the U.S. and the region. 
 
¶9. (SBU)  The AASP is a comprehensive framework for addressing the 
serious deficiencies in the region's S&T capacity which will 
ultimately affect economic development, employment generation, the 
root causes of extremism, as well as U.S. interests and standing in 
the Muslim world.   The activities proposed in the AASP have the 
ambitious goals of striving to spark a science renaissance in the 
Arab world, promoting the cycle of 
research-innovation-commercialization, and supporting U.S. efforts 
to battle climate change and spur the adoption of renewable energy. 
The potential AASP benefits extend beyond science to also support 
U.S. political, economic, and security interests through a new 
two-way public diplomacy platform based on U.S. S&T leadership which 
is widely admired. 
 
¶10. (U) Whether through the AASP or other new initiative, there are 
existing, potential partner organizations for increased S&T 
engagement.  In Jordan, these include: 
 
--  SESAME:  The Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science and 
Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) is an intergovernmental 
organization operated under the auspices of UNESCO.   SESAME is 
governed by a Council which meets twice each year and currently has 
ten members:  Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, 
Pakistan, Palestinian Authority, Iraq, and Turkey.  Jordan, which 
hosts the center, is providing the land and has constructed a 
facility.  There are more than 60 synchrotron light research 
facilities in operation, but none in the MENA region.  SESAME would 
operate as a user-facility for scientists throughout the MENA region 
- similar to the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) or the 
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland. 
Currently there is a $20 million funding shortfall.  Given Israeli 
and Iranian participation in SESAME, several Arab region countries 
are unlikely to join. 
 
--  El Hassan Science City (EHSC):  Comprised of three anchor 
institutions in Amman - the Higher Council for Science and 
Technology (de facto science ministry for the government), the Royal 
Scientific Society, and the Princess Sumaya University of Science 
and Technology.  EHSC has many S&T research centers focused on 
renewable energy (National Energy Research Center), Environmental 
Sciences Center, as well as a business incubator to help promising 
business ideas from the university and R&D centers reach 
commercialization.   EHSC has big vision and plans, but suffers from 
modest resources and weak implementation which have hindered 
substantial progress. 
 
--  Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST):  Considered 
one of the leading S&T academic institutions in the MENA region, 
JUST covers a wide variety of scientific research including water, 
environment, nuclear energy, and biotechnology.  The Princess Haya 
Biotechnology center within JUST has made notable progress over the 
last few years (with some USG support).  Without any financial 
support from the Jordanian government, the head of the Biotechnology 
Center, Dr. Said Jaradat, has developed this institution over the 
last three years from $7,000 in seed funding to a 40-person unit 
with varied research programs and partnerships with the private 
sector.  The Biotechnology Center is well known in Jordan for having 
successfully identified the perpetrators of the 2005 Amman hotel 
bombings through DNA testing, as well as analyzing the public water 
system during a 2007 water contamination event. 
 
--  National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension (NCARE): 
 NCARE is focused on agricultural research and extension in Jordan 
including water conservation and the reuse of treated wastewater. 
The USAID Middle East Regional Cooperation program has funded many 
research projects over the years.  Provision of extension services 
for small and medium scale farms remains a weakness and NCARE 
suffers from low visibility.  The large farming establishments in 
Jordan do not seek NCARE services.  NCARE is hosting October 12-15 
an "international conference on 'Food Security and Climate Change in 
Dry Areas.'"  While the organization seeks U.S. financial support 
for this event, the conference's objectives track with U.S. efforts 
to promote food and the gathering could provide an opportunity for 
the U.S. to explore new partnerships. 
 
¶11.  (SBU)  The Middle East and North Africa region is also host to 
other S&T institutions with which the U.S. could partner, among 
them: 
 
--  Masdar in Abu Dhabi, UAE:  An aggressive ($22 billion) 
commitment to renewable energy.  UAE has just been selected to 
 
AMMAN 00001676  005 OF 005 
 
 
become the IRENA headquarters.  The Masdar Institute of Science & 
Technology (MIST) slated to open in September 2009 has collaborated 
with MIT to become a S&T center for renewable energies in the MENA 
region. 
 
--  Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) in Sharjah, UAE: 
ASTF is a pan-Arab NGO that tracks and supports S&T progress in the 
region.  ASTF does not undertake much research itself, but supports 
research programs with some modest endowments.  ASTF holds a 
bi-annual gathering of over 1,000 Arab regional scientists. 
 
--  Qatar Foundation - Qatar National Research Foundation (QNRF) and 
Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP):  Both organizations are 
funded through the deep coffers of the Qatar Fund.  Qatar also has 
an education city which aims to graduate highly skilled people to 
feed into QNRF and QSTP.  Several large U.S. corporations have 
already become tenants at QSTP.  The research-innovation eco-system 
is very young, but has grand ambitions. 
 
--  Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR):  Despite 
limited international recognition, KISR is a well-funded government 
research entity covering a broad spectrum of research areas. 
The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) is a 
non-governmental fund with private sector support that has 
collaborated with the Environmental Sciences Center at MIT.  To 
date, KFAS has had relatively few notable achievements, although it 
supported the USG in hosting the Women in Science conference in 
January 2007. 
 
--  King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) and 
the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technolgoy (KACST)  in Saudi 
Arabia:  KAUST and KACST support KSA's broad ambition of moving 
towards a knowledge-based society by 2025.  KAUST is managed by 
ARAMCO which has an excellent track-record of implementing projects. 
 KAUST is slated to open its doors in September 2009 with 
significant research endowments for regional S&T projects.  It is 
purported to be attracting interest from U.S. students and 
professors to the first co-ed educational campus in Saudi Arabia. 
 
--  Middle East Desalination Research Center in Oman:  MEDRC was 
founded in 1996 from the Peace Process.  Focused on funding 
desalination research projects and scholarships, it has modest 
funding from nine member states and has achieved relatively modest 
results. 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  While the S&T bodies offer many new possibilities, 
caution is warranted.  Prior to U.S. engagement with these 
institutions, steps should be taken to ensure: 
 
--  Adequate USG and host country funding. 
 
--  A clear focus for the center - such as water research, climate 
change, renewable energy.  The center should not attempt to be 
everything to everyone. 
 
--  Sufficient buy-in and strong participation from the U.S. private 
sector in terms of scientific capacity with consideration for a seat 
at the board table, a role in management of the center, and a clear 
link to guiding the research priorities of the center for potential 
commercialization.  The private sector "contributions" could be 
balanced with potential IPR benefits that would accrue to them. 
 
-- Clearly defined metrics for how the success of the center would 
be measured at three- and five-year intervals. 
 
--  A mechanism for engaging with private sector entities in the NEA 
region as part of the operational plan for the center. 
 
--  Sufficient staffing, including consideration of seconding of USG 
staff from relevant partner agencies to provide a management and 
scientific boost to the centers. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
BEECROFT