US embassy cable - 05AMMAN9

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 000009 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/02/2015 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, EPET, EFIN, ENRG, JO 
SUBJECT: GOJ SAYS KUWAITI AND EMIRATI CASH GRANTS ALREADY 
EXPIRED; SAUDI CRUDE GRANT WILL EXPIRE APRIL 2005 AS 
REPORTED 
 
REF: 2004 STATE 275413 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires David Hale for reason 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1. (C) Finance Minister Abu Hammour, in a January 3 
conversation, reconfirmed to Charge that Jordan's arrangement 
to receive 50,000 barrels per day in crude from Saudi Arabia 
is currently scheduled to conclude at the end of April 2005. 
Abu Hammour also confirmed that the Kuwaiti and Emirati 
pledges had expired.  (NOTE: The Kuwaiti cash pledge was for 
one year, beginning in March 2003, and the Emirati cash 
pledge was for nine months, beginning in March 2003.)  The 
GOJ has therefore requested U.S. assistance in interceding 
with Saudi Arabia to extend its grant of crude oil.  The USG 
intercession with the governments of Kuwait and the UAE, on 
the other hand, would aim at prompting these governments to 
make new pledges of assistance to Jordan. 
 
2. (C) According to Finance Ministry figures received on 
December 30, Jordan received JD 49.6 million ($70 million) 
from the UAE in cash during 2003 - post estimates this figure 
would be close to full payment of the UAE's pledge of the 
cash equivalent of nine months of crude at 25,000 bpd.  Also 
according to these figures, Kuwait paid to the GOJ cash in 
the amount of JD 60.3 million ($85 million) in 2004.  This 
contribution, in addition to the Kuwaitis' JD 18.5 million 
($26 million) to Jordan in 2003, would be roughly equivalent 
to full payment of its pledge of 25,000 bpd for one year. 
HALE