US embassy cable - 03AMMAN1922

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001922 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2013 
TAGS: AEMR, AMGT, ASEC, PREL, CASC, CVIS, EFIN, ETRD, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: TFIZO1: AMMAN SITREP 21 (3/31 1800 LOCAL) 
 
Classified By: DCM Gregory L. Berry for reasons 1.5 (b)(d). 
 
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General Overview 
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1.  (C)  The Embassy operated on a normal schedule March 31. 
Consular services were open.  Activities at the American 
Language Center remain suspended, and there is only 
restricted activity by FSN's at the Peace Corps office. 
Movements of American staff remain restricted. 
 
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Consular Issues 
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2. (C)  Consular Section and RMO visited injured Amcit peace 
activist Mr. Weldon Nisly in a local hospital.  He is 
recovering nicely, but will be unable to travel to the U.S. 
with his colleagues on April 1.  One of his colleagues will 
be staying with him and they will probably depart in a few 
days.  The other six Amcit peace activists are scheduled to 
depart for the U.S. on Tuesday. 
 
3. (C)  Voices in the Wilderness activist, Mr. Ramzi Kysia, 
earlier reported to have departed Baghdad on Sunday 3/30 for 
Jordan and not heard from since, is confirmed by two sources 
to have remained in Baghdad and is said to be okay. 
 
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GOJ Actions/Statements 
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4. (U)  No new issues. 
 
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Security 
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5. (C) According to the PSD, a number of anti-war protests 
and gatherings were planned for March 31 in Madaba, the 
Baqa'a Palestinian refugee camp, and Zarqa University.  The 
Women's Union and the Artists' Union also scheduled protests 
at two locations in downtown Amman, and a candlelight vigil 
is to be held in the evening at the King Abdullah Mosque. 
PSD did not intend to intervene or prevent any of these 
activities.  As of 1800 we have received no reports of any 
violence or problems. 
 
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Economic and Trade Developments 
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6. (sbu) Bucking the global trend, the Amman Stock Exchange 
closed up 1.4 percent Monday, due to advances in the banking 
and industry sectors.  The Central Bank confirmed that 
foreign currency demand continues to be unaffected by the 
conflict next door. 
 
7. (sbu) Jordanian exporters complained about war risk 
insurance premiums and transport fees imposed on shipments to 
the GCC countries, which account for 15 percent of Jordan's 
exports.  Insurance premiums have increased by three percent 
since the beginning of the war.  Exporters say that transport 
fees to the Gulf have gone up 50 percent overall.  Insurance 
companies have not imposed war risk premiums on other 
destinations. 
 
8. (sbu) The Jordan Medical Association (JMA) called on its 
15,000 members to donate JD10 (USD 14) each to "the Iraqi 
people resisting the U.S.-U.K. invasion of their country." 
The money is to go towards medical aid for the Iraqi people, 
according to the JMA vice president.  The JMA is also sending 
a medical team to Baghdad. 
 
9. (sbu) The Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ) flight to Chicago 
was canceled Monday due to low passenger load. Airline 
officials report that, although the New York flight typically 
carries a 60% load, flights from Europe and the Gulf are 
currently running at about 20% of capacity.  European 
airlines continue to operate on a reduced schedule. 
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Refugee/Humanitarian Issues 
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10. (SBU) Embassy Refcoord is scheduled to travel with DART 
team member April 1 to IOM's transit camp and UNHCR's still 
vacant refugee camp near Ruwaished. 
 
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Press 
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11. (U)  Front pages of all papers published March 31 
continue to focus on developments in the war in Iraq.  Major 
reports highlight the effect of the suicide bombings, a 
"division" in the Pentagon over the military operations, as 
well as the continued Iraqi resistance and the continued 
American and British bombing of Baghdad and Basra.  A banner 
headline in Al-Arab Al-Yawm reads "Four Thousand Arab 
Would-Be Martyrs (suicide bombers) for Iraq."  Covers of all 
Jordan's dailies feature above-the-fold photographs of 
civilian-area destruction or armed coalition forces searching 
Iraqi civilians. 
 
12. (U)  Letter to King Abdullah: Al-Arab Al-Yawm was the 
only daily to publish the letter sent to King Abudullah by 99 
Jordanian personalities, including four former prime 
ministers (two of them, Mudar Badran and Ahmad Obeidat, 
former intelligence chiefs), one former parliamentary speaker 
(Abdul Hadi Majali, who is also a former Chief of Staff and 
former Ambassador to the US), and a number of former 
ministers and members of parliament.  The letter said that, 
"Arab regimes are required to stand by Iraq in order to 
defend their own legitimacy that is threatened by this 
aggression."  They also called on Jordan to "condemn this 
imperialist, iniquitous aggression," and to "refuse to 
recognize any political or legal consequences of this 
aggression," as a "minimal stand, around which the Jordanian 
people would rally." 
GNEHM