US embassy cable - 04AMMAN6968

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Identifier:	04AMMAN6968
Wikileaks:	View 04AMMAN6968 at Wikileaks.org
Origin:	Embassy Amman
Created:	2004-08-18 13:13:00
Classification:	CONFIDENTIAL
Tags:	PREL CVIS CPAS KFRD IZ JO
Redacted:	This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 006968 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2014 
TAGS: PREL, CVIS, CPAS, KFRD, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: IRAQ MISCELLANY 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 6437 
     B. BAGHDAD 424 
     C. STATE 168782 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.5 (b), (d). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  Iraq named a new Ambassador to Jordan, Ata 
Abdul Wahab.  Recent guidance from the Iraqi MFA on visa 
procedures appears to have cleared up some of the Amman 
Embassy,s confusion on this issue.  Separately, a former 
Iraqi minister criticized PM Allawi,s performance.  End 
Summary. 
 
------------------------------------ 
NEW IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO JORDAN NAMED 
------------------------------------ 
 
2. (SBU) Iraqi Charge in Amman Ma'an Barakat confirmed to 
PolOff that Ata Abdul Wahab would be the new Iraqi Ambassador 
to Amman, pending GOJ agrement (Ref A.)  During a meeting 
with PolOff, Barakat and visiting Iraqi MFA Consular chief 
Salah Abdel Salam said that Barakat would likely leave Amman 
when Abdul Wahab arrived. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
IRAQI VISA PROCEDURES; CENSUS OF IRAQIS LIVING ABROAD 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
3. (SBU) Salam conveyed Baghdad,s latest guidance on Iraqi 
visa procedures in terms consistent with ref B, and  urged 
U.S. recognition of the Iraqi S-series passport, which the 
USG at present does not recognize (Ref C.)  (Note:  As of 
August 11, the Iraqi mission in Amman had issued 146 visas 
and 462 S-series passports.)  Salam said he planned to visit 
Syria and Lebanon before heading back to Baghdad at the end 
of the week.  He also planned to "brainstorm" with Iraqi 
embassy officials the establishment of a commission to 
conduct a census of Iraqis living abroad. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
ALLAWI'S PERFORMANCE, HANDLING AL-SADR 
-------------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) One of our Iraqi contacts resident in Jordan, former 
Iraqi Minister for Oil Issam Chalabi (no relation to INC 
leader Ahmad Chalabi), criticized Allawi for spending "so 
much time outside Iraq while the IIG was so young."  He said 
that Allawi's absence contributed to the current problems in 
Najaf, and that Allawi should exert greater efforts to bring 
Shi'ite upstart Moqtada Al-Sadr into the political process. 
Other Iraqi businessmen in Amman said they supported Allawi's 
efforts and asserted that the IIG should clamp down on 
Al-Sadr. 
 
5. (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