US embassy cable - 04AMMAN724

UNCLAS AMMAN 000724 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, CVIS, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: IRAQI MISSION'S CONSULAR SECTION IN AMMAN RENEWING 
PASSPORTS, ISSUING ITDS 
 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary.  Iraqi Consul in Amman Ahmad Jirallah 
Al-Dabbagh told EmbOffs that he had recently received 
authority to extend Iraqi passports and issue Interim Travel 
Documents (ITDs).  He reported a constant demand from Iraqis 
for more consular services, including issuance of new 
passports.  End Summary. 
 
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PASSPORT EXTENSION AUTHORITY, NOT FAR ENOUGH 
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2. (SBU) PolOff met January 14 with Iraqi Consul General in 
Amman Ahmad Jiralla Al-Dabbagh to discuss recent consular 
developments.  Al-Dabbagh said his staff had been busy ever 
since receiving instructions from CPA Baghdad, one week 
earlier, authorizing them to extend Iraqi passports and 
provide notarial services.  Al-Dabbagh noted that the Mission 
had posted a notice on its front door upon receipt of 
instructions and said that word had spread immediately. 
Al-Dabbagh mentioned that the Mission processed an average of 
200-300 passport extensions per day, and a limited number of 
notarizations.  He added that his staff had been working 
until midnight daily to allow Iraqis seeking passport 
extensions to receive their renewed passports on the 
following day.  He reported that they had already witnessed a 
substantial decrease in demand, to an average of between 
20-30 applicants per day, after the initial surge. 
 
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AMMAN-BASED IRAQIS CLAMORING FOR PASSPORT ISSUANCE SERVICES 
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3. (SBU) Al-Dabbagh told PolOff that the ITD, was of limited 
use to Iraqis living in Jordan since few countries were 
accepting them.  Al-Dabbagh claimed that at present, only the 
U.S., U.K., India, Egypt and Jordan, are accepting the ITD as 
an official travel document. 
 
4. (SBU) Al-Dabbagh, though happy to see some forward 
movement, confided that Iraqis in Jordan were unhappy with 
the limited number of consular services offered and were 
asking his mission's staff when they would start issuing new 
Iraqi passports.  He urged the U.S. government to seek the 
agreement of European and Arab countries to accept the ITD as 
a substitute for an Iraqi passport.  He noted that Iraqis 
have told him that they have lost job opportunities in other 
Arab countries due to their inability to travel.  He cited 
Jordan as an example of the ITD's limited usefulness, saying 
the GOJ does not accept it as a valid identification document 
to open a bank account or for residency permit extensions and 
added that Iraqis holding it are allowed a maximum of 14 days 
in country. 
 
5. (U) CPA Baghdad minimize considered. 
 
Visit Embassy Amman's classified website at 
http://www.state.sgov/p/nea/amman/ 
or access the site through the State Department's SIPRNET 
home page. 
HALE