US embassy cable - 03AMMAN2131

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002131 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2013 
TAGS: AEMR, AMGT, PREL, ASEC, CASC, CVIS, EFIN, ETRD, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: TFIZO1: AMMAN SITREP 31 (4/08 1700 LOCAL) 
 
REF: AMMAN 2117 
 
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 is operating on a normal schedule April 
8.  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. (S)  The Ambassador raised with Foreign Minister Marwan 
Muasher April 8 continued U.S. concerns over the unbalanced 
coverage in the Jordanian media of events in Iraq (reftel). 
The Ambassador cited for Muasher several examples of 
factually incorrect coverage in the Jordanian media of 
alleged coalition military actions, as well as examples of a 
distinctly pro-Iraq slant in coverage that is otherwise 
factually true.  He argued that such coverage only fans the 
flames of anti-U.S. hatred and could make it more difficult 
for the U.S. to sustain its important programs in the long 
term. 
 
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Consular Issues 
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3. (U)  Nothing new to report. 
 
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GOJ Actions/Statements 
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4. (U)  Nothing new to report. 
 
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Security 
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5. (C)  The situation remains calm. Two small gatherings 
planned for the evening of April 8: A pro-Iraq gathering 
inside the Labor Complex in Irbid and a mid-afternoon 
demonstration following prayers at the main Mosque in Salt. 
Both are expected to be peaceful. 
 
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Economic and Trade Developments 
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6. (SBU)  On the heels of a strong performance Monday, the 
Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) saw a slight drop-off in trading 
but still closed up .86% on Tuesday.  Iraqi reconstruction 
continued to be the focus of traders as they continued to buy 
shares in industrial sector enterprises analysts believe are 
well-placed to play a prominent post-war role. 
 
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Refugee/Humanitarian Issues 
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7. (U)  Two Iraqi refugees entered Jordan late on April 7. 
They were temporarily admitted to the TCN transit camp but 
are being moved to the UNHCR refugee camp this afternoon. 
According to UNHCR, the two Iraqis hold valid documents and 
tickets for onward travel to the UAE and wanted to join a 
third family member in Amman before leaving for the UAE.  The 
GOJ would not allow the Iraqis to stay temporarily in Amman 
and instead offered either direct transfer to Queen Alia 
airport or temporary accommodations in the refugee camp.  A 
third Iraqi national with document problems is being held in 
"no-man's land" at the border.  No TCNs crossed into Jordan 
in the last 24 hours.  UNHCR reports that the border remains 
open. 
 
8. (U)  Also late on April 7, the GOJ allowed all 22 
Palestinians who had been held at "no-man's land" to enter 
the transit camp, bringing the total number of Palestinians 
temporarily admitted to Jordan to 40.  In a related move, 
local press reported that King Abdullah allowed 13 
Palestinians holding Iraqi or Egyptian travel documents to 
move from the transit camp to Amman on April 7.  The 13 all 
have direct family ties (spouses/children) to Jordanian 
citizens and have been granted permission to stay only until 
they are able to return to Iraq. 
9. (U)  Fierce sandstorms overnight destroyed one Rubb Hall 
at the UNHCR refugee camp and severely damaged two medical 
tents at the JRCS transit camp.  At the request of IOM, 
CARE/Australia is today setting up replacement Rubb Halls at 
the transit camp.  In the meantime, UNHCR-implementing 
partner Japan Platform is providing medical care at the 
transit camp until JRCS can re-establish its medical 
services.  Strong winds and sandstorms continue to buffet 
Ruweished today; UNHCR reports that many TCNs are huddled in 
IOM buses, hoping to wait out the poor weather. 
 
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Press 
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10. (C)  The April l8 killing of Al Jazeera journalist Tareq 
Ayoub in Baghdad, allegedly during a coalition "rocket 
attack," is the biggest story of the day.  Ayoub, a Jordanian 
citizen, was well regarded and liked in both the journalist 
and diplomatic community.  We anticipate harsh criticism and 
anger from the press corps here, as Al Jazeera has claimed 
the "coalition attack" on their office in Baghdad was 
deliberate. 
 
11. (C)  On April 7 we held a press conference at the USAID 
relief warehouse.  While the Jordan Times covered the 
conference with a large article on page 3, the Arab language 
papers ignored it.  Without mentioning the press conference, 
an editorial by Nabil Shareef, editor of Al Destour, decried 
the "hypocrisy" of humanitarian efforts at a time when the 
"real issue" is stopping the massacre of Iraqi civilians. 
The Arab media also carried articles critical of Jay Garner, 
with many alleging his "close friendship" with Ariel Sharon. 
GNEHM