US embassy cable - 04AMMAN3741

UNCLAS AMMAN 003741 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/PCI TURNER AND YU; OES/ENV RICHARD; NEA/ARN 
SCHEDLBAUER; NEA/RA LAWSON 
BAGHDAD FOR CPA/KRAWCZEL 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, KSCA, SENV, TSPL, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT:  JORDAN-SOLICITING ASSISTANCE FOR IRAQ 
ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY 
 
REF:  STATE 099370 
 
1. (U) This is an action cable; see para 6. 
 
2. (SBU) In response to reftel demarche, Jordanian Minister 
of Environment, Alia Bouran, welcomed the opportunity for 1- 
2 of her employees to attend the Iraq environment experts 
workshop.  (COMMENT:  Post does not believe, however, that 
Jordan's nascent Ministry of Environment can serve as a 
model for an Iraqi environmental regulatory or enforcement 
body.  Jordanian technical "experts" attending such a 
workshop would probably be learning as much as their Iraqi 
counterparts from the international environmental and 
scientific community.  END COMMENT) 
 
3. (SBU) On the question of whether Jordan would be willing 
to provide the venue for the workshop, and possibly the 
follow-on donors' meeting, something that Bouran did not 
remember discussing with OES PDAS Rock on the margins of the 
UNEP meeting in Korea last month, Bouran nevertheless said 
she would be interested in helping Iraq build its 
environmental capacity.  Bouran confirmed May 12 that she 
spoke to the Prime Minister about this proposition and 
received his approval, in principle, to "host" the workshop. 
 
4. (SBU) The anticipated early-June timing of the experts 
workshop, however, is not/not convenient for Bouran and the 
Jordanian government.  Bouran will be in Washington 
participating in the preparatory Joint Environmental Forum 
(JEF) meeting on June 7, after which she will attend the FTA 
Joint Commission (JC) meeting the following day.  Bouran 
requested that the Iraq environment experts workshop instead 
be postponed until later in the month. 
 
5. (SBU) On a separate but related matter, there is a 
possibility of a cabinet reshuffle taking place following 
the extraordinary World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea (May 
15-17).  In a May 12 telephone conversation with the 
minister, NEA regional environment officer learned that, 
although Bouran may give up the environment portfolio, she 
would remain the Jordanian government's point person on 
environmental issues related to the FTA.  She emphasized no 
decision on cabinet changes had been made.  Bouran assured 
us that she would be attending the preparatory JEF and JC in 
Washington in early June, whatever the outcome of any 
reshuffle. 
 
6. (SBU) Action Request:  If Washington remains intent on 
hosting the Iraq environment experts meeting in Amman, it 
needs to carefully consider the date to accommodate Bouran 
and the Jordanian government.  Moreover, a cabinet reshuffle 
might produce a new minister of environment only just 
settling in to his/her office by early June. 
 
GNEHM