US embassy cable - 03AMMAN1803

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001803 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2013 
TAGS: AEMR, AMGT, ASEC, CASC, CVIS, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: TFIZO1: AMMAN SITREP 12 (3/26 0800 LOCAL) 
 
REF: A. (A) FBIS GMP20030325000248 
     B. (B) ABU DHABI 1384 
     C. (C) FBIS GMP20030325000316 
     D. (D) FBIS GMP20030325000335 
 
Classified By: Acting DCM Doug Silliman. Reason 1.5 (b,d). 
 
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General Overview 
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1. (SBU) The Embassy continues on a normal schedule March 26. 
 Consular services are open.  Activities at the American 
Language Center and Peace Corps remain suspended.  Movements 
for American staff remain restricted. 
 
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Consular Issues 
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2. (U)  No new issues. 
 
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GOJ Actions/Statements 
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3. (U)  On March 25 Iraqi Vice President Taha Yasin Ramadan 
accused the Government of Jordan of "stopping" the 
importation of oil from Iraq and thus depriving King Abdullah 
of his "reward" from the Iraqi regime (ref A).  Ramadan 
attacked Jordan for expelling its "diplomats," and asked if 
Jordan had not turned into a "front for the US aggression." 
 
4.  (U)  Jordanian Minister of Industry and Trade Salah 
Basheer and Minister of Information Mohammed Adwan stated at 
a joint press conference March 25 that the GOJ and King 
Abdullah, had exhausted all possible means to avoid war and 
to come to a peaceful solution.  Basheer said the flow of 
commodities to Iraq from Jordan is "normal" and denied the 
GOJ had "frozen" Iraqi assets in Jordanian banks.  He also 
said the GOJ would allow the three expelled Iraqi diplomats 
to be replaced by new ones.  As for the oil, Adwan said that 
the security issue posed by the "current circumstances" make 
it unsafe for Jordanian truckers to go into Iraq.  He said 
the GOJ has yet to import oil from other countries, but that 
"brotherly Arab countries" had promised to meet Jordan's oil 
demand (ref B). 
 
5.  (U)  In a press conference on March 25, Jordanian Foreign 
Minister Marwan Muasher stated that "His Majesty King 
Abdullah II continues exerting efforts to stop war on Iraq." 
Commenting on the expulsion of five Iraqi diplomats, Muasher 
said that "the reasons were not an American dictate," adding 
that Jordan is "ready to receive new diplomats."  On the 
subject of Jordanian trade with Iraq, Muasher said that the 
Oil For Food program was stopped due to the departure of UN 
officials from Iraq due to the war, and noted that Jordan is 
urging the UN to set up new measures by which the Oil for 
Food program can be resumed.  (ref C) 
 
6.  (U)  Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri sent a letter to 
Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher March 25, which was 
read by an announcer on Iraqi Satellite Television, noting 
his surprise at the expulsion of five Iraqi diplomats from 
Jordan.  In the letter, Sabri states:  "You know that the 
so-called charges against our embassy employees are pure lies 
and are groundless."  He notes, in particular, that Jordanian 
"intelligence officials escorted First Secretary 
Adb-al-Razzaq Iyad Ahmad in an uncivilized manner from his 
house in Amman and beat him up," adding that "we have no idea 
about his whereabouts."  Finally, he states:  "This action is 
a blatant violation of pan-Arab values and neighborly 
relations between our two countries," and points out "we 
strongly denounce that these measures of yours come in 
implementation of a disgraceful wish."  (ref D) 
 
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Security 
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7. (U)  No new issues. 
 
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Economic and Trade Developments 
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8. (U)  No new issues. 
 
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Refugee/Humanitarian Issues 
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9. (U)  No new issues. 
 
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Press 
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10. (U)  No new issues. 
GNEHM