US embassy cable - 03AMMAN1883

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001883 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2013 
TAGS: AEMR, AMGT, PREL, ASEC, CASC, CVIS, EFIN, ETRD, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: TFIZO1: AMMAN SITREP 19 (3/30 1500 LOCAL) 
 
 
Classified By: DCM Gregory L. Berry for reason 1.5 (b)(d). 
 
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General Overview 
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1. (C) The Embassy is operating on a normal schedule March 
30.  Consular services are open.  Activities at the American 
Language Center remain suspended, and there is only 
restricted activity by FSNs at the Peace Corps office. 
Movements of American staff remain restricted. 
 
2. (C) The official Jordanian news service Petra reported 
that 50,000 persons took part in an anti-war demonstration in 
the northern city of Irbid on March 29.  PSD sources reported 
a significantly smaller event involving approximately 7,000 
people with no violence or arrests.  According to PSD 
sources, political speeches in Jebel al-Nuzha near Marka 
airport in Amman attracted around 10,000 people, with no 
violence or arrests.  Small non-violent demonstrations were 
also reported in Wehdat and Baq'aa refugee camps. 
 
3. (SBU) Demonstrations in support of Palestinian Land Day 
and against the war in Iraq are expected today at Yarmouk 
University and Jordan University of Science and Technology 
(JUST) in Irbid, and at University of Jordan and the 
Professional Associations building in the Shmeisani area of 
Amman. 
 
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Consular Issues 
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4. (C)  Mr. Nate Thayer, a reporter expelled from Iraq called 
today to provide information on situation in Baghdad.  He 
specifically requested that his comments not/not be provided 
to other than USG offices.  Situation in Baghdad is chaotic 
with no one appearing to be in control.  Ms. Mary Caperton 
Bingham was arrested and taken from the room she shared with 
Mr. Thayer.  At the same time Mr. Matthew McAllester, Mr. 
Moise Saman, Mr. Philip Latasa, and Mr. Johan Spanner, a 
Danish citizen, all disappeared from the hotel.  Thayer 
presumes that they were arrested in the same operation. 
Thayer states that the feeling in the street is 100 percent 
pro-iraq, anti-bush with most of the citizenry in the streets 
being armed with light weapons.  He stated that he had been 
"all over" Baghdad in the past few days and saw no/no armored 
vehicles.  He requested that officers of the DAO contact him 
for discussions.  See reftel for further details on phone 
conversation with ConOff  (See Amman 1876) 
 
5. (SBU)  Eight Amcits traveling with the activist group 
Christian Peacemakers Team/Voices in the Wilderness arrived 
in Jordan March 29 after suffering a vehicle rollover on 
Highway 10 in Iraq, caused by either a tire blowout or by 
rubble on the road.  One Amcit is currently hospitalized in 
Amman with broken ribs and a possible spinal injury.  (A 
Consular officer spent several hours in the hospital with the 
injured Amcit early on March 30.)  The Amcits were returning 
from Baghdad in order to catch a previously booked flight out 
of Amman on April 1 when the accident occurred.  All eight 
intend to depart as planned.  If the injured Amcit is unable 
to travel, one of the group will remain with him until he is 
able to do so.  Amman Consular has forwarded names, passport 
numbers and DOBs to taskforce-ca by separate email. 
(reftels: SECSTATE 1627, AMMAN 1875.) 
 
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GOJ Actions/Statements 
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6. (U) No new issues. 
 
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Security 
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7. (C) Senior Jordanian security officials expressed to us 
regrets that there will likely be ongoing anti-war 
demonstrations around the country during the next several 
days. 
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Economic and Trade Developments 
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8. (C) Following up on local press reports of a resumption of 
Jordanian oil tanker traffic to Iraq, the Ambassador raised 
issue with Foreign Minister Muasher on March 29.  The 
Ambassador told Muasher that U.S. military sources believed 
that no tankers had crossed the border, but sought GOJ 
confirmation of that fact.  Muasher said that he did not 
believe that the report was true, but would check.  Later, 
Kuwait News Agency citing a "high level Jordanian official" 
reported that Iraq had suspended all oil shipments to Jordan 
because of the current tension between the two countries. 
(See Amman 1881) 
 
9. (C) Information Minister Mohammad Adwan clarified to the 
Ambassador on March 30 that "volunteers" had driven seven oil 
tanker trucks to al-Qaem in Iraq (near H-1) to take delivery 
of some Iraqi oil.  The trucks had returned empty.  The Iraqi 
official in charge of the oil terminal at al-Qaem had told 
the drivers that he had no "license" to give any more crude 
oil to Jordan.  Adwan said that the exercise was "a publicity 
stunt" to disprove Iraqi VP Taha Yassin Ramadan's accusatory 
statement last week that Jordan had shut off Iraqi oil 
shipments.  There was no intention by GOJ to resume liftings 
of Iraqi crude as long as hostilities continued. 
 
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Refugee/Humanitarian Issues 
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10. (SBU) UNHCR reported March 30 that 67 TCNs arrived in 
Jordan from Iraq during the night of March 28/29, and 24 
during the night of March 29/30 (including 10 Westerners 
associated with the CPT group noted above).  UNHCR continues 
to report a reluctant among some of the residents of the 
transit camps to be repatriated.  A media report out of Abu 
Dhabi (ref FBIS GMP 20030330000008) claimed that three trucks 
carrying 70 tons of relief aid crossed into Iraq from Jordan. 
 The relief aid, to be distributed in Baghdad, was sent from 
Abu Dhabi,s Red Crescent Society.  Cairo MENA press agency 
reports that Jordan transported 10 truckloads of medicine and 
medical equipment to Iraq.  It also reports that there were 
242 TCNs from 11 countries at the border camp March 29. 
 
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Press 
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11. (SBU) No further word received on the journalists 
reported missing in Iraq (Amman 1876, Amman 1875 and previous 
sitreps). 
 
12. (SBU)  Local papers highlighted the first suicide attack 
against coalition forces and the "stalling" of the march 
toward Baghdad, the growing number of civilian victims of 
coalition attacks, efforts to resume the oil-for-food 
program, and Iraqi denials of any military support from Syria 
or Iran. 
GNEHM