US embassy cable - 05AMMAN1123

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001123 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2015 
TAGS: KHDP, MASS, PGOV, PREL, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN REQUESTS DEMINING ASSISTANCE 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1. (C) Prince Mir'ed bin Ra'ad bin Zeid, Chairman of the 
National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation (NCDR), 
met with Charge February 8 at his initiative to provide a 
progress report on demining in Jordan and to request U.S. 
political and financial assistance. Prince Mir'ed asked that 
the U.S. encourage the Israeli government to assist in the 
removal of mines laid by Israel in the Wadi Araba region. 
Action request at para 6. End Summary. 
 
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Israeli Land Mines in Wadi Araba 
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2. (U) Appointed Chairman of the NCDR in November 2004, 
Prince Mir'ed told Charge he hopes to fulfill Jordan's 
obligations under the Ottawa convention to be completely 
mine-free by 2009. According to Mir'ed, Jordan has removed 
100,000 mines from the ground and destroyed its stockpile. An 
estimated 200,000 mines remain in the ground. The NCDR claims 
that approximately one third (70,000) of those mines were 
laid by the Israeli military on lands that Jordan regained 
control over after the signing of its 1994 peace agreement 
with Israel, mostly in the Wadi Araba area in southern Jordan 
and in Aqaba. 
 
3. (C) Prince Mir'ed felt the presence of Israeli mines on 
Jordanian lands presented both a challenge and an 
opportunity. The challenge to the Royal Engineers Corps 
(REC), the military unit charged with demining, is overcoming 
the danger posed by clearing foreign landmines. It is always 
safer for a country to remove its own mines since the 
military force that laid them has familiarity with the type 
of mines used, the pattern of mines within a minefield, and 
the techniques used for laying the mines. In order to remove 
the Israeli mines the REC would require extensive retraining 
that would drain resources from other demining efforts. 
Prince Mir'ed nevertheless viewed as an opportunity the 
potential bilateral cooperation between Israel and Jordan for 
the removal of these mines. He believed a cooperative 
humanitarian demining effort could provide a positive, 
tangible development in the peace process. He said the 
symbolism of removing mines along the shared border and 
preventing civilian casualties would serve both sides well. 
Prince Mir'ed intends to approach the Israelis on this issue 
in the near future. 
 
4. (U) After returning control of lands in Wadi Araba and 
Aqaba to Jordan, Israel provided maps with minefield 
sketches. However, Prince Mir'ed said that the maps did not 
give enough detail to identify the locations of the 
landmines. Therefore, a technical survey of the Wadi Araba 
region is required in order to execute a demining plan. 
According to a rough estimate, such a survey would cost 
around USD 2 million. Subsequent discussions with NCDR Board 
Secretary Yasin Majali and the U.N. Chief Technical Advisor 
 
SIPDIS 
to the NCDR, Dr. Olaf Juergenson, suggested that this cost 
could be reduced with the assistance of Israeli and Jordanian 
maps of known minefields. 
 
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Vision of a Regional Center for Mine Action 
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5. (U) Prince Mir'ed elaborated on the Jordanian plan to 
create a regional center for mine action. He pointed out that 
Jordan was the only country in the region to sign the Ottawa 
convention. He explained that this placed Jordan in the 
unique position of serving as an example for neighboring 
countries. Mir'ed hoped to create a comprehensive training 
center for instruction on the removal of landmines, the 
rehabilitation of landmine victims, and on mine risk 
education and awareness. He saw this center as a repository 
for information and expertise that could help countries like 
Iraq, Sudan, and Lebanon deal with their landmine challenges. 
 
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Comment and Action Request 
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6. (C) The success of the GOJ's ongoing demining program has 
resulted in Jordan's graduation from U.S. NADR demining 
assistance, straining Jordan's limited resources and forcing 
the GOJ to push back its timetable to rid the country of 
landmines. Post recommends encouraging the GOI to respond 
favorably to a Jordanian request for assistance in demining 
the Wadi Araba and Aqaba regions, to counter the dangers in 
removing Israeli mines and to help showcase the benefits of 
Arab cooperation with Israel. It is in our strong interest to 
encourage practical, cross-border Israeli-Jordanian 
cooperation, particularly in the wake of the Sharm summit and 
the decision to return a Jordanian Ambassador to Israel, as a 
means to demonstrate the humanitarian and economic advantages 
of peace. Along with engagement of the GOI, a relatively 
modest U.S. contribution of funds for spare parts for 
Jordan's existing de-mining equipment could help stimulate 
that cooperation. Post would appreciated Department's 
reaction. End Comment. 
HALE