US embassy cable - 03AMMAN6064

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006064 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: GOJ MAY REQUIRE PRE-APPROVAL FOR ENTRY OF IRAQIS 
INTO JORDAN 
 
Classified By: DCM David M. Hale for reasons 1.5 (b)(d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (S/NF)  The visiting Jordanian Charge in Baghdad told 
PolCouns that, because of security agencies' concerns about 
export of terrorism from Iraq to Jordan, the GOJ is 
considering declaring Iraqis a "restricted" nationality. 
Iraqi travelers to Jordan would require pre-approval from 
security agencies in Amman.  Jordan's Charge said that the 
MFA fears a political backlash among Iraqis if this step is 
carried out and has proposed a five-tier visa system that 
it hopes will have less sting.  He emphasized that the GOJ 
has not/not yet made a final decision to implement new 
restrictions on Iraqis.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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GOJ SECURITY AGENCIES WORRIED ABOUT IRAQIS 
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2.  (S/NF)  In a September 15 conversation with PolCouns in 
which he very likely exceeded his brief, the Jordanian 
Charge in Baghdad, Dimai Haddad (please strictly protect) 
said that Jordanian security agencies are very worried that 
the Sunni extremists currently in Iraq will try to come to 
Jordan to cause trouble as Iraqi authorities gain greater 
control.   Consequently, he continued, the Interior 
Ministry and the General Intelligence Directorate (GID) had 
proposed classifying Iraq as a "restricted" country. 
Designation as a "restricted" nationality would mean that 
all Iraqis who wanted to travel to Jordan would have to be 
pre-approved by GOJ security agencies in Amman. 
 
3.  (S/NF)  Haddad said that he and the MFA had opposed for 
several reasons this measure in an interagency meeting held 
September 15.  First, significant restrictions on travel of 
Iraqis to Jordan could reduce commercial opportunities 
available to Jordanians, both in Iraq and in Jordan. 
Second, Iraqis -- many of whom, he commented, believe that 
Jordan was "in bed with Saddam Hussein" -- might 
misinterpret such a move to mean that "Iraqis could travel 
to Jordan freely only as long as Iraq gave Jordan free 
oil."  This impression could do significant harm to 
Jordan's interests in Iraq, and Jordan's ability to 
influence events there.  Third, he argued, the 
recently-bombed Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad and the 
recently fired-on Jordanian field hospital at Falluja were 
currently in no position to process visa applications.  The 
interagency meeting ended without making any changes to 
current GOJ entry policy on Iraqis. 
 
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IRAQIS MAY REQUIRE PRE-APPROVAL 
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4.  (S/NF)  In lieu of declaring Iraqis a "restricted" 
nationality, Haddad said the MFA had proposed a compromise 
"five-tier" visa system to categorize Iraqis as follows: 
official travelers, traders, medical and humanitarian 
cases, students, and "all others."  The requirements for 
each category would be somewhat different, but all would 
require pre-approval from Jordanian security agencies in 
Amman.  Haddad admitted that the main reason to categorize 
Iraqi travelers into five groups was to lessen the 
potential political sting of declaring all Iraqis suspect. 
He said the MFA had also suggested that flights to and from 
Iraq land at Queen Alia International Airport (instead of 
the currently used Marka International Airport), to 
facilitate travel of Iraqis through Jordan to other 
destinations without the need for visas (passengers could 
sit in the transit lounge and wait for their onward flight 
instead of having to enter the country and transfer between 
airports). 
 
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GOJ HAVING HARD TIME WITH CPA-RENEWED PASSPORTS 
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5.  (C)  Haddad said that currently, Jordanian border 
officials have been instructed to accept only valid Iraqi 
passports for travel into and out of Jordan.  Iraqis 
carrying expired (and CPA-extended) passports are permitted 
to go to Iraq, but not to enter Jordan.  Haddad said that, 
despite the authority given to the CPA in UNSCR 1483, it 
would be very difficult for the GOJ to recognize either CPA 
extension of expired Iraq passports (if the seal extending 
the validity was a CPA seal), or the issuance of new travel 
documents or passports by the CPA.  He speculated that 
Jordanian security agencies might be willing to accept new 
diplomatic and service passports issued to Iraqi interim 
government employees for official travel.  Any Iraqi (or 
any other nationality citizen) traveling on anything less 
than a full-validity passport (e.g. transportation letter, 
laissez passer) automatically requires pre-approval before 
admittance. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6.  (S)  Others in the MFA have confided to us that the GID 
is very concerned with the unclear instructions currently 
issued to border control personnel regarding Iraqis, and is 
pressing for much clearer and more restrictive guidelines. 
Although some other agencies seem to be pushing back, it is 
likely that some kind of new controls will be imposed on 
Iraqi travelers.  Any new controls will make advance 
coordination with the GOJ crucial for official and 
humanitarian Iraqi travelers of interest to the USG. 
 
7.  (U)  CPA Baghdad minimize considered. 
GNEHM