US embassy cable - 04AMMAN6370

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 006370 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2014 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, JO, IQ 
SUBJECT: JORDAN SEIZED BY HOSTAGE CRISIS IN IRAQ 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C)  Two Jordanian truck drivers, who work for a 
Jordanian company operating in al-Qaim, were seized by 
militants in Iraq on July 26.  The kidnappers reputedly have 
demanded that the company withdraw from Iraq and pay a 
ransom.  Despite GOJ advice not to give in to the demands, 
their employer decided to announce he intended to "freeze" 
its operations there.  Under intense pressure from the men's 
tribe and families, GID chief Saad Kheir ultimately 
acquiesced on "humanitarian" grounds.  Jordanians reacted 
strongly to the televised images of the two truckers, which 
came against the backdrop of news that the brother of one of 
Jordan's female members of Parliament was killed in Iraq 
under suspicious circumstances.  End Summary. 
 
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GOJ WORKS FOR HOSTAGE RELEASE BEHIND THE SCENES 
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2.  (C)  Jordanian officials on July 27 were preoccupied with 
efforts to secure the release of two Jordanian truck drivers 
kidnapped July 26 in the Iraqi town of al-Qaim on the 
Iraqi-Syrian border.  According to press reports, their 
abductors threatened to kill them in 72 hours unless their 
employer, Daoud and Partners (reportedly a subcontractor of 
an American company) agreed to pull out of Iraq.  MFA 
official Ali al-Ayed identified the hostages as Fayez Sa'ad 
al-Adwan from the southern Shuneh area of Jordan and Ahmad 
Salameh Hassan, a resident in al-Baqaa Palestinian refugee 
camp. 
 
3.  (C)  During a midday meeting to discuss a separate 
matter, General Intelligence Directorate (GID) Chief Saad 
Kheir told Charge that he had advised company officials not 
to give in to the kidnappers' demands and recommended they 
cancel a press conference in which they intended to announce 
the cessation of operations in Iraq.  He assured the company 
that the GOJ was working through the Iraqi security services 
and U.S. military to locate the men and secure their release. 
 Kheir added that one of the family members had received a 
$100,000 ransom demand over his cellular phone from someone 
who purported to be a kidnapper, but the call could not be 
traced and there are doubts about its authenticity.  Kheir 
confided he was under enormous pressure from the family 
members and leaders from Adwan's tribe to win their release 
-- and took calls from them throughout the meeting. 
 
4.  (C)  Two hours later, Kheir called Charge back to relate 
a reversal: the company would announce it was freezing its 
activities in Iraq to save the lives of its employees.  Kheir 
said the GOJ would go along with the decision for 
"humanitarian" reasons, but he viewed it more as a "tactical" 
move because he expected the company to continue operating in 
Iraq, and to retain its U.S. contract, perhaps by using a 
different name.  Kheir added he would not object if the 
company decided to pay the kidnappers "under the table" to 
ensure the hostages' safety.  Charge said that the U.S. did 
not support negotiating with terrorists.  Acquiescing in 
these demands would only invite additional kidnappings. 
 
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JORDANIANS REVILED BY HOSTAGE CRISIS 
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5.  (C)  Jordanians reacted strongly to this latest hostage 
crisis in Iraq -- which has suddenly brought the violence 
closer to home.  Many expressed their revulsion at the 
televised images of the two drivers seated on a floor with 
six militants menacing in the background, one holding a 
sword.  Several Jordanian columnists -- likely reflecting 
widespread sentiment among ordinary Jordanians -- demanded 
the GOJ do whatever it takes to secure the release of their 
brethren.  Of note, the hostage crisis comes against the 
backdrop of news that a Jordanian businessman working in Iraq 
-- the brother of Irbid MP Nariman Roussan -- was killed in 
Mosul in unknown circumstances.  His family members told 
reporters that 45-year-old Marwan Zuheir al-Roussan had 
received warnings to leave Iraq, but did not specify from 
whom. 
 
6.  (U)  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. 
HALE