US embassy cable - 03AMMAN2259

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002259 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/14/2013 
TAGS: AEMR, AMGT, PREL, ASEC, CASC, CVIS, EFIN, ETRD, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: TFIZO1: AMMAN SITREP 36 (4/14 1700 LOCAL) 
 
REF: (A) FBIS GMP20030413000213 (B) FBIS 
     GMP20030413000152 
 
Classified By: DCM Gregory L. Berry for reasons 1.5 (B)(D). 
 
---------------- 
General Overview 
---------------- 
 
1. (C) Amman and the rest of Jordan is calm.  No reports of 
any demonstrations anywhere in the Kingdom April 14.  Embassy 
operated on a normal business schedule today.  Movements of 
American personnel remain restricted.  Activities at the 
American Language Center and Peace Corps offices remain 
suspended. 
 
--------------- 
Consular Issues 
--------------- 
 
2. (U) See para 9 below. 
 
---------------------- 
GOJ Actions/Statements 
---------------------- 
 
3. (U) In an April 13 meeting with visiting UN Humanitarian 
Coordinator for Iraq Ramiro Lopes de Silva, King Abdullah 
affirmed the importance of the UN role in Iraq, particularly 
its delivery of assistance and basic social services to the 
Iraqi people.  The King indicated that Jordan is prepared to 
coordinate with the UN in helping Iraq with necessary relief 
supplies, and reportedly said that two Jordan army field 
hospitals will soon be sent to Iraq. (Jordan Times 4/14) 
 
4. (U) Minister of Information Muhammad al-Adwan in an April 
13 statement to the Jordanian Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm 
"emphasized that the government will deal with the new 
administration in the interim period in Iraq in a manner that 
benefits the Iraqi people."  The paper said that Al-Adwan 
also stated that "the Central Bank (of Jordan) has frozen the 
official Iraqi assets in licensed banks in Jordan and that 
these assets would remain frozen until the situation becomes 
clearer and a new Iraqi government is formed." (ref A) 
 
5. (U) In an April 13 statement to the official Petra News 
Agency, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Mohammad 
Batayneh announced that a ship carrying 100,000 tons of Saudi 
oil recently arrived in Aqaba.  (ref B) 
 
-------- 
Security 
-------- 
 
6. (U) No new issues. 
 
------------------------------- 
Economic and Trade Developments 
------------------------------- 
 
7. (U) Nasri Nowar, Director of Queen Alia International 
Airport, confirmed that KLM and British Airways had resumed 
service to Amman this week.  He said they would offer limited 
service the next two weeks, but said that most European 
carriers intended to resume normal service by the end of the 
month.  Nowar added that current passenger loads were down 
40% from this period last year. 
 
8. (U)  Traffic flow at the Sheikh Hussein bridge in northern 
Jordan appears to be returning to normal.  Authorities at the 
bridge report volumes at about one-half of normal levels for 
the past two days, an improvement from the previous week. 
 
--------------------------- 
Refugee/Humanitarian Issues 
--------------------------- 
 
9. (SBU) 108 people are being held in no-man's land at the 
Jordanian-Iraqi border, 96 of whom are the Iranians that 
arrived on April 12.  Representatives from the German embassy 
are meeting with purported German document holders today; 
conoff will meet with purported US document holders on April 
15.  GOJ officials confirmed that the person who claimed to 
be an Amcit did not possess a US passport; UNHCR separately 
reported that the individual returned to Baghdad this 
morning.  The additional 28-30 Iranians have not yet arrived 
at the border. 
 
10. (SBU) UNHCR confirmed that nine Iraqis currently are 
being held at no-man's land.  Some of them are laborers who 
were deported on April 7 from Aqaba and subsequently returned 
to the Jordanian border; others are ethnic Iraqis without any 
travel documentation. 
 
11. (SBU) The 200 Syrian Ba'athists and Muslim Brotherhood 
supporters, rumored yesterday to be en route to the Trebil 
border crossing, have not yet materialized.  UNHCR reports 
that one Syrian family, carrying Iraqi passports, arrived at 
the Jordanian border yesterday but were denied entry by GOJ 
officials. The family was sent back into Iraq. 
 
12. (C) UNHCR is extremely concerned about the burgeoning 
population in no-man's land.  Although UNHCR Rep Sten Bronee 
had told the press that conditions in no-man's land are 
"squalid," UNHCR's senior logistics officer reports that the 
space & facilities available can accommodate the current 
population but would be taxed if the population reaches 200. 
More importantly, UNHCR is beginning to see this as a serious 
protection issue and a violation of the GOJ's agreements with 
UNHCR.  UNHCR believes that, at a minimum, the Iranians 
should be admitted to the TCN transit camp and Iraqis without 
documentation who seek UNHCR protection should be allowed 
into the UNHCR refugee camp.  Given GOJ views that the 
Iranians are MEK members, we doubt that the GOJ will allow 
any Iranians to leave the border unless they have proven 
claims to residency in another country -- and are escorted by 
their respective embassies to the airport.  Refcoord will 
accompany conoff on the April 15 border visit and will 
provide a full report on conditions. 
 
----- 
Press 
----- 
 
13. (U) In the late afternoon of April 14, a number of 
journalists contacted Embassy Press office reporting that a 
convoy of journalists on the Amman-Baghdad highway may have 
been attacked or ambushed between Ramadi and Baghdad.  The 
journalists reported seeing one car apparently which had 
rolled over after apparently being shot at.  Reports indicate 
that one or possibly two journalists -- both of Argentinean 
nationality -- may have been killed.  No further 
identification was provided.  We will follow up as additional 
details become available. 
GNEHM