US embassy cable - 03AMMAN7688

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 007688 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2013 
TAGS: PREL, BA, CE, CH, FI, RS, SW, SZ, JO 
SUBJECT: POST SECURES IRAQI PASSPORTS FROM IRAQI MISSION; 
GUIDANCE NEEDED ON PROCESSING PROCEDURES 
 
Classified By: DCM David M. Hale for reasons 1.5 (b) (d) 
 
1. (U) Action request for Department.  See paragraph 5. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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2. (C) On November 23, PolOff picked up from the Iraqi 
mission in Amman more than 3,500 blank Iraqi ordinary, 
service and diplomatic passports along with passport 
stickers.  Post seeks Department guidance on processing of 
such passports/stickers. End Summary. 
 
3. (C) The Iraqi mission in Amman advised PolOff that they 
were in possession of 3,649 Iraqi passports and 808 passport 
stickers forwarded to them from Iraqi missions in  Beijing, 
Bern, Colombo, Helsinki, Manama, Moscow, and Stockholm. 
PolOff visited the Iraqi mission on November 23 and took 
possession of the Iraqi passports and stickers and placed the 
boxes in a secure location at the embassy.  Following is a 
breakdown of the type of passports received from the Iraqi 
mission in Amman: 
 
Ordinary    3490 
 
Service     7 
 
Diplomatic  152 
 
4. (C) Over the past several months, the military 
Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Center (HACC) based in 
the Embassy has, acting on e-mail instructions from the 
senior advisor to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry in Baghdad and 
in cooperation with the remnants of the Iraqi Embassy in 
Amman, been collecting blank Iraqi passports and passport 
machines.  The Iraqi MFA instructed its embassies around the 
world to forward blank passports to the Iraqi Embassy in 
Amman.  The Iraqi MFA senior advisor has generally instructed 
the HACC to collect the passports, machines, foils, and other 
related items from the Iraqi Embassy, destroy ordinary 
passports (keeping a careful log), and forward to the MFA in 
Baghdad service and diplomatic passports.  The HACC officer 
who was responsible for this function has departed, and this 
function has fallen onto the Embassy to perform. 
 
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COMMENT 
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5.  (C) We expect further requests for assistance from the 
Iraqi mission in Amman as they receive Iraqi passports from 
Iraqi missions abroad.  Post requests Department and CPA 
guidance on handling and disposition of such passports. 
 
6. (U) CPA Baghdad minimize considered. 
 
Visit Embassy Amman's classified website at 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ 
 
or access the site through the State Department's SIPRNET 
home page. 
GNEHM