US embassy cable - 04AMMAN7659

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 007659 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARN 
DEPT ALSO FOR NP/ECC - P. VAN SONN, A. CHURCH, K. CROUCH 
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE - D. MARTIN 
CBP/INA FOR P. WARKER AND PROGAM MANAGER A. BACHELLER 
DOC FOR PETERSEN-BEARD 
PASS USDOE/NNSA FOR T. PERRY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/14/2014 
TAGS: ETTC, MNUC, PARM, PREL, KSTC, KNNP, ETRD, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S NEW BORDER TASK FORCE AIMS AT 
FACILITATING TRADE 
 
Classified By: CDA DAVID HALE.  REASONS 1.5 (B,D) 
 
1. (C)  SUMMARY:  The GOJ cabinet approved a new 
inter-ministerial border management task force that will 
focus on facilitating trade and travel.  The cabinet decision 
appointed National Customs as the lead agency in a task force 
comprising nine ministries and agencies.  It is too soon to 
say whether the task force will be a plus for border 
cooperation, but its mission did not include security, which 
is a setback for our Export and Related Border Security 
(EXBS) Program.  Embassy will encourage the task force to 
emphasize more inter-agency cooperation at the borders.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C)  The cabinet August 10 approved a new border 
management task force.  Finance minister Mohammed Abu 
Hammour, who oversees National Customs, proposed the measure. 
 According to a source in the Prime Minister's office, an 
August 12 written decision signed by the PM stated that 
National Customs would head the task force.  The decision 
stated that the task force aims to "ease the passage of trade 
and people." 
3.  (SBU)  The border task force comprises representatives of 
the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of 
Transport, the Ministry of Health, the General Intelligence 
Directorate (GID), the Public Security Directorate (PSD), the 
Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), the Jordan Institute of Standards 
and Metrology, the Ports Authority, and National Customs. 
Border functions in Jordan are shared among a surprisingly 
broad array of agencies.  For example, even the Health 
Ministry has limited frontier responsibilities, testing 
imports of medicines, grains and other commodities, as well 
as processed foods. 
 
4.  (C)  Security is noticeably absent from the task force's 
goals, despite the presence on the task force of GID, PSD, 
and the JAF.  The three agencies deploy intelligence and 
enforcement resources along all of Jordan's borders (not just 
legal crossings) to detect and deter trans-national smuggling 
and illicit acts, including terrorist activities.  The 
cabinet rejected a key proposal of the Finance Minister: 
that the Prime Minister appoint a chairman from outside the 
concerned agencies who would report to the Prime Minister. 
 
5.  (SBU)  USAID's Economic Opportunities unit masterminded 
the idea of an inter-ministerial border committee and has 
promoted it among the respective agencies since last January. 
 The resulting  task force -- with cabinet approval -- should 
now lead to some greater cooperation at the borders regarding 
trade matters and passenger handling.  It is too early to 
tell whether this initiative will lead to improvements at the 
frontiers;  agencies are just lining up their candidates for 
task force membership and the committee will likely take 
until the end of the year to get up and running. 
 
6.  (C)  COMMENT:  USAID,s task was considerable in bringing 
about even this limited level of cooperation in a government 
notorious for bureaucratic in-fighting.  While we will 
encourage the task force to focus on improved liaison among 
security agencies, it is more likely to serve as a sounding 
board and information gathering tool for those agencies.  The 
Jordan Armed Forces Directorate of Military Intelligence, the 
GID, and the PSD Borders Administration have relied on 
working relationships at the center based on a top-down 
approach to deal with serious border security issues. 
 
7.  (U)  Baghdad minimize considered. 
HALE