US embassy cable - 04AMMAN5399

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005399 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2024 1.6 X5, X6 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN-IRAQ BORDER RESTRICTIONS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b), (d). 
 
1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: We understand that elements of the 1st 
Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) have restricted all 
military-age men from entering Iraq through the Jordan border 
crossing at Karama.  Our Humanitarian Assistance Coordination 
Center (HACC) border liaison contacts said that the MEF 
elements at the border have a tentative plan to end the 
restrictions July 4.  Separately, Jordan has imposed various 
fees for vehicles and persons exiting Jordan into Iraq, and 
Jordanian border officials continue to restrict entry of 
military-age Iraqis.  The confusion over the new fees, poor 
communication between border officials, and restriction of 
military-age Iraqis from entering Jordan has created some 
unrest at the border in recent weeks.  At the Ambassador's 
request, the King has said he will convene an interagency 
meeting to resolve border problems.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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NO MILITARY-AGE MEN ALLOWED TO ENTER IRAQ 
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2. (S/NF) According to Post's HACC border liaison officer, 
elements of the 1 MEF are not allowing military-age men to 
enter Iraq through the Karama border.  This move is 
apparently based on intelligence reports of insurgents 
gathering at the Syrian border with Iraq.  The unit operating 
at the border has a tentative plan to end the restriction on 
July 4. 
 
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JORDAN RESTRICTING ENTRY OF IRAQIS 
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3. (C) According to HACC, Jordanian border security officials 
are refusing entry to most Iraqis to Jordan.  Liaison officer 
cited a recent example of an Iraqi working for the CPA who 
had traveled several times to Jordan over the past year, but 
was initially refused entry on his most recent attempt.  The 
Jordanians relented only after our liaison officer stepped in 
to question why the Iraqi would not be allowed to enter. 
According to Jordanian officials at the border, the 
restrictive entry policy is aimed at stopping Iraqis 
presenting fake passports, those attempting to cross 
illegally (sometimes over a hundred in a day are caught), and 
Jordanian security fears of smuggled persons and weapons. 
Contrary to local rumors though, the Jordanian border 
security are not, according to liaison officer, restricting 
Iraqis from exiting Jordan into Iraq. 
 
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POOR COMMUNICATION, UNREST AT THE BORDER 
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4.  (C)  According to HACC, Jordanian and Iraqi border 
officials are not communicating very well.  The Jordanians 
view the Iraqi border security personnel as unprofessional 
and do not trust them.  The Jordanians do not believe that 
Iraqi border officials make a real effort to restrict Iraqis 
traveling with fake passports.  Our liaison officer also 
reported on a recent instance in which an Iraqi border 
official threatened a Jordanian border official with violence 
in a telephone call because the Jordanians had refused entry 
to a relative.  Our HACC liaison officer said that these 
tighter border security measures, poor communication between 
border security, and new fees (see below) have caused some 
unrest at the border in recent weeks.  Additionally, our HACC 
office reported that there are lines of vehicles, sometimes 
as long as 10 to 12 kilometers, waiting for entry into Jordan 
each day. 
 
5.  (C) In a June 28 meeting with the King, the Ambassador 
addressed the issue of long delays of vehicles and people at 
the border.  The King said that he was aware of the problem 
and that the delays were, in part, security-related.  The 
King turned to members of the Royal Court present and 
directed that an inter-agency meeting be convened to address 
the issues. 
 
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WHAT ARE THESE BORDER TAXES? 
---------------------------- 
 
6.  (C) In conversations with the Jordan Ministry of Finance 
(MOF), EconOff confirmed that the Jordan cabinet decided on 
June 8 to impose a series of fees on Iraqi registered and 
licensed vehicles at the Karama border.  Details of each fee 
are listed below.  Fees 4a and 4b were imposed for one day, 
but were then suspended for 30-days. 
 
     1.  10 Jordan Dinar (JD) (1 JD = 1.4 USD approximately) 
annual traffic passport fee on all public transportation 
vehicles. 
     2.  1-2 JD fee for each lead seal on commercial vehicles. 
 
     3.  1 JD (each entry) forms office fee. 
 
     4a. 80 JD fee diesel fuel supplement for Iraqi trucks. 
 
     4b.  80 JD fee for any foreign registered truck entering 
Iraq under the Oil for Food Program (OFF).  (comment: 
EconOff assisted a CPA rep last week in requesting from the 
Jordan Ministry of Planning (MOP) a continuance of its 
humanitarian waiver for OFF traffic until the end of the 
year.  We understand that the Iraq Ministry of Transport will 
follow the matter up with the MOP.) 
 
     5.  75-150 JD handling fee for Iraqi trucks with cargo 
exiting Jordan.  The weight of the vehicle and cargo 
determines the amount of the fee for each vehicle. 
 
     6.  5 JD departure tax on each Iraqi citizen leaving 
Jordan, no border specified. 
 
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COMMENT 
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7.  (C) Now that the transfer of authority has taken place in 
Baghdad, cooperation and coordination between Jordanian and 
Iraqi officials at the Karama/Trebil border will become more 
important in ensuring smooth operations.  HACC intends to 
maintain a routine, but not continuous, border liaison 
presence to help smooth the still-prickly relations between 
Jordanian and Iraqi border officials. 
 
8. (U) AMEMBASSY 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