US embassy cable - 03AMMAN5232

UNCLAS AMMAN 005232 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECPS, EAID, JO, CPA 
SUBJECT: CPA TELECOM TEAM RECEIVES OFFERS OF HELP FROM GOJ 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: 
The CPA telecommunications team met with the Jordanian 
Minister of Information and Communications Technologies, 
Minister of Planning and a representative from the 
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission(TRC) on July 30. 
Discussion with GOJ officials centered around partnerships 
and assistance that the GOJ and the Jordanian private 
sector could provide to the CPA.  Specifically the GOJ 
offered assistance in training Iraqi officials and civil 
servants, connecting the Jordanian fiber network to the 
Iraqi fiber network and guidance in the construction of the 
future Iraqi Regulatory Body. 
End Summary 
 
2. (SBU) While in Amman for the Iraqi Mobile 
Telecommunications Tender Conference, CPA officials David 
Leech, Dr. Daniel Sudnick and Iraqi Telecommunication and 
Post Company(ITPC) executives Dr. Shakir Abdullah and Abdul 
Latif met with Minister of Information and Communications 
Technology Dr. Fawaz H. Zu'bi.  Zu'bi stressed his 
willingness to assist the CPA and the importance of a 
successful launch of a mobile network in Iraq for the 
entire region.  However, Zubi noted that the five percent 
foreign government ownership cap restricted Jordanian 
mobile telecommunications firms, and most other Arab mobile 
operators, from competing.  Abdullah informed Zu'bi that 
Iraq's fiber network reached to the border of Jordan, and 
requested assistance from the Jordanian government in 
connecting the two countries fiber networks.  Zu'bi advised 
the CPA that Jordan's fiber network came to 150 km of the 
border, and that he would immediately look into quickly 
extending the network to the Iraqi border. Zu'bi also 
described the MoICTs involvement in the Jordan Education 
Initiative, and that utilizing ICT was an extremely 
important part of any planned Iraqi education program. 
 
3. (SBU) In a separate meeting, Minister of Planning Bassem 
Awadallah also expressed his willingness to assist the CPA 
in anyway possible. Awadallah offered to pay for and 
provide training to Iraqi citizens in any area, but placed 
particular emphasis on Jordan's strengths in ICT.  He 
suggested structuring three to six month training programs 
at the MoICT and TRC.  CPA officials and Awadallah also 
discussed how to minimize the negative consequences from 
the privatization of the ITPC - particularly the resulting 
job losses.  Awadallah stated that the key to a Jordan's 
successful privatization of Jordan Telecom was the 
restructuring of the telecommunications sector to create 
open markets where the private sector could thrive. In 
Jordan's case, Awadallah claimed that within two years of 
privatization, downsized personnel from Jordan Telecom had 
been absorbed by other telecom firms.  Similarly to 
Minister Zu'bi, Awadallah expressed his concern with the 
five percent foreign government ownership cap. He also 
noted that he would speak to Jordan Telecom and exert 
"pressure," if necessary, to ensure that the Jordan fiber 
network was connected as quickly as possible to the Iraqi 
network. 
 
4. (SBU) The CPA telecom team also met with a senior 
advisor to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission to 
discuss the future Iraqi Regulatory Authority.  The advisor 
described past experiences of the TRC in setting up a new 
regulatory body and provided the CPA officials with 
proposed guidelines for the future Iraqi Telecommunications 
Regulatory Authority which the TRC had previously drafted 
for CIP Ambassador Gross. 
 
5. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
HALE