US embassy cable - 04AMMAN5471

S E C R E T AMMAN 005471 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2014 
TAGS: ECON, EFIN, MOPS, PREL, PTER, JO, IZ 
SUBJECT: JORDAN LIKELY TO BE HELPFUL ON IRAQI 
TERRORIST/INSURGENCY FINANCE 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward Gnehm, for reasons 1.4 (b), (c), and ( 
d). 
 
1.  (S/NF).  The Jordanian government strongly supports the 
interests of the United States in reducing the terrorist 
violence on-going in Iraq, violence which Jordan has suffered 
from directly with the August 2003 attack on its Embassy in 
Baghdad.  Political stability in Iraq and a peaceful 
environment in which Jordanian companies can trade and invest 
remains a top goal of both King Abdullah and the government 
as a whole.  Jordan has  been helpful in freezing Iraqi 
assets, and has transferred $250 million in formerly frozen 
assets to the Development Fund for Iraq. Jordan has also been 
cooperative with the USG in stopping terrorist financing. 
 
2. (S/NF).  Nevertheless, in the case of Jordan, an Executive 
Order authorizing the freezing of assets in the U.S. of 
individuals and entities supporting the Iraqi insurgency 
would not in itself enhance our ability to interdict funds in 
Jordan.  Jordanian Law allows the Central Bank to stop any 
banking transaction related to "a crime or an illegitimate 
act," thus providing sufficient legal recourse to stop Iraqi 
terrorist/insurgency financing.  The U.S. would, in most 
cases, need only to provide the GOJ will the relevant 
information in time to allow the government to freeze a 
suspect account or to stop a suspect transaction. 
 
3.  (S/NF).  Regarding the individuals and organizations 
listed in para. 7 of reftel, post would not expect Jordanian 
opposition to the designations proposed. 
GNEHM