US embassy cable - 03AMMAN2044

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002044 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2013 
TAGS: AEMR, AMGT, PREL, ASEC, CASC, CVIS, EFIN, ETRD, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: TFIZO1: AMMAN SITREP 28 (4/05 1000 LOCAL) 
 
REF: AMMAN 2033 
 
Classified By: DCM Gregory L. Berry for reasons 1.5 (B)(D). 
 
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General Overview 
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1. (SBU) The Embassy is closed April 5 for the Jordanian 
weekend.  It will reopen for regular business on Sunday, 
April 6.  The movement of American staff remains restricted. 
 
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Consular Issues 
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2. (U) Nothing new to report. 
 
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GOJ Actions/Statements 
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3. (C) Nothing new to report. 
 
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Security 
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4. (C) Demonstrations were held in Amman April 4.  Between 
5,000 - 7,000 participants marched from a downtown mosque to 
a GOJ municipal building in a licensed demonstration.  PSD 
and embassy contacts report the march was spirited and full 
of anti-USG and "pro-Saddam" slogans, but was peaceful.  In 
the Shmeisani area, a few hundred people marched in a 
licensed march from the professional associations complex to 
the UN headquarters. 
 
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Economic and Trade Developments 
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5. (U) Nothing new to report. 
 
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Refugee/Humanitarian Issues 
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6. (SBU) The Jordan-Iraq border remains open.  REFCOORD 
visited Ruwayshid April 5 and reported 246 third country 
nationals currently at the UNHCR camp.  8 TCNs crossed into 
Jordan during the night of April 3-4 9 TCNs crossed during 
the night of April 4-5. As of April 5, three Palestinian 
families attempting to transit into Jordan were waiting at 
the border as their documents are sorted out. 
 
7. (SBU)  UNHCR reports GOJ authorities continue to allow 
Iraqis with onward airline tickets, valid visas and 
"sufficient funds" to transit Jordan en route to other 
countries.  Reportedly, a "handful" of Iraqis enter Jordan 
daily under these circumstances.  In one case where an Iraqi 
family wanted to stay in Jordan prior to transiting out, GOJ 
authorities were reportedly willing to permit their entry so 
long as they registered with UNHCR as asylum seekers and 
stayed in the refugee camp.  In this case, the family 
reportedly refused to register as refugees and were returned 
to Iraq.  UNHCR says they are tracking such cases "very 
closely." 
 
8. (SBU) The Embassy received a phone call during the evening 
of April 4 from Kate Rowland of the Italy-based humanitarian 
group "Emergency."  Rowland said that a group consisting of 
five persons (including a surgeon, nurse, and 
anesthesiologist) planned to travel from Amman to Baghdad 
either Sunday April 6 or Monday April 7 in a convoy of two 
large trucks and two trailers carrying medical supplies. 
Rowland said the trucks and trailers will bear the 
"Emergency" logo.  Embassy Crisis Liaison Unit conveyed this 
information to Task Force West personnel in the Embassy and 
to the PRM duty officer at TF1 in Washington.  Kate Rowland's 
contact information in Amman is as follows:  Sheraton Hotel 
(962-6-593-4111), room 419, or international cell number 
00393358189598.  Rowland said she would pass on additional 
information on the convoy's travel plans when they become 
available.  Based on the information provided, it appears 
there are no AMCITS traveling in this group. 
 
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Press 
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9. (C) The convoy of three to four GMC suburban-type vehicles 
carrying journalists from various western news organizations 
that set out from Amman for Baghdad the morning of April 4 
reportedly arrived in Baghdad late night April 4 (reftel A). 
There are no AMCITS in the group.  The US military public 
affairs officer detailed to Jordan is aware of the situation. 
 
10. (C) Rounding out the government's three-day effort to 
align its public stance more closely with the feelings of an 
angry nation, Jordan's state-owned and influenced media April 
4 played up the PM's convoking of the Ambassador as evidence 
that the GOJ is taking tangible and meaningful steps to 
translate into action the people's 
opposition to the war (reftel B).  Local reporting on the 
event also highlighted the Ambassador's remarks to the press 
expressing a common concern for the welfare of Iraqi 
civilians and a commitment to maintain that concern even as 
we pursue the objective of removing the Baathist regime. 
GNEHM