US embassy cable - 05AMMAN5992

S E C R E T AMMAN 005992 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, JO 
SUBJECT: HALTING THE FLOW OF FOREIGN INSURGENTS AND 
TERRORISTS TO IRAQ 
 
REF: STATE 136754 
 
Classified By: CDA DAVID HALE, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.  (S) Acting DCM drew from reftel points July 27 in a 
meeting with Walid Obeidat, director of the Foreign 
Minister's private office.  Obeidat noted that Jordan agreed 
that foreigners in Iraq contributed to the violence there out 
of proportion to their numbers.  Jordan sees the "foreign 
fighter" phenomenon as a danger not only to Iraq, but in the 
longer term, potentially to Jordan itself.  Jordanian 
security services make it a priority to monitor Jordanians 
who might be tempted to go to Iraq to join the insurgency, he 
said, and to head them off when possible.  They also try to 
intercept young male travelers to Iraq or Syria who do not 
appear to have legitimate business there. 
 
2.  (S) Obediat pointed to some of the GOJ's efforts to 
delegitimize the supposed religious credentials of terrorism, 
including the Amman message of November, 2004, the Amman 
Islamic conference of July 4-5, 2005, and follow-up 
statements by the clerics attending that conference 
denouncing terrorism.  He said Jordan would continue this and 
other informational efforts to undermine the appeal of both 
the Iraq insurgency and terrorism more broadly.  He also 
undertook to relay to FM Qasrawi and the Jordanian security 
services our request that the GOJ review its efforts to deter 
and intercept young men who might be headed for the Iraq 
insurgency. 
HALE