US embassy cable - 05AMMAN1784

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 001784 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, ECON, SY, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN AND SYRIA FORMALLY END BORDER DISPUTE, BUT 
TENSIONS REMAIN 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 1651 
     B. 04 AMMAN 9484 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) The Prime Ministers of Jordan and Syria signed a raft 
of agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) in 
Amman on February 28, including an agreement formally 
demarcating the border between the two countries.  Despite 
this public display of mutual cooperation, the GOJ retains 
serious concerns about the flow of terrorists and weapons 
into Jordan from Syria, as well as Syrian behavior elsewhere 
in the region.  End Summary. 
 
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ALL SMILES IN PUBLIC 
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2.  (U) A two-day visit to Amman by a high-level Syrian 
government delegation headed by Prime Minister Mohammad Naji 
Al Otari culminated in the formal signing of bilateral 
agreements on February 28.  Otari and Jordanian PM Faisal 
al-Fayez penned their names to 21 agreements and MOUs 
covering bilateral cooperation in a variety of fields, 
including commerce and industry, science, agriculture, law 
enforcement, and anti-terrorism.  The centerpiece of the 
ceremony, however, was a document demarcating the 
long-disputed border between Syria and Jordan.  This 
agreement, hammered out by negotiating teams in November 2004 
(ref b), puts and end to Syrian control of approximately 125 
square kilometers of Jordanian territory, much of it occupied 
since "Black September" 1970.  The Jordanians in return will 
give back roughly 2.5 square kilometers of Syrian land along 
the border. 
 
3.  (U) A day before the signing, Jordanian Interior Minister 
Samir Habashneh acknowledged to reporters that the border 
issue had been "an irritant" to bilateral relations that 
caused "a non-chronic headache from time to time."  He 
asserted that the agreement would "guarantee" that no future 
territorial infringements would take place.  Syrian Interior 
Minister Ghazi Kanaan added that the document would "return 
the rights of peoples and secure their interests" while 
"rebuilding trust" between the two countries. 
 
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GROWING TRADE TIES 
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4.  (U) Otari's visit was marked by numerous public exchanges 
of upbeat quotes and accolades for Jordanian-Syrian 
"brotherhood."  Officials highlighted the rapid growth in 
bilateral trade between Jordan and Syria in recent years, 
especially since the implementation of a 2001 free trade 
agreement.  According to press statements, joint commercial 
exchanges reached 241 million Jordanian dinars (USD 337 
million) in 2004 -- JD 147 million (USD 206 million) in 
Jordanian imports from Syria and JD 94 million (USD 132 
million) in Jordanian domestic exports to Syria. 
Adding in re-exports brings the 2004 bilateral trade total up 
to JD 254 million (USD 356 million). 
 
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COMMENT 
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5.  (C) The Syrian delegation's visit to Jordan comes at a 
time of continued tension between the two capitals.  The GOJ 
remains deeply troubled by the flow of weapons and 
trouble-makers crossing into Jordan from Syria.  Serious 
concerns also persist in Amman about Syria's approach to 
Israeli-Palestinian issues, Iraq and Lebanon.  The GOJ's 
recent blunt admonitions to Damascus on compliance with UNSCR 
1559 (ref a) were reflected in King Abdullah's meeting with 
Otari, during which the press quoted him as saying that 
Jordan supported the implementation of "international 
resolutions" and was keenly interested in preserving 
Lebanon's "unity, sovereignty and security." 
HALE