Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02AMMAN2383
2002-05-14 13:10:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

JORDAN: REGULATION OF CHARITIES

Tags:  ETTC EFIN PTER PREL JO 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002383 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARN, EB/ESC/ESP AND S/CT
TREASURY FOR OFAC AND OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2010
TAGS: ETTC EFIN PTER PREL JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: REGULATION OF CHARITIES

REF: A. STATE 90100

B. 01 AMMAN 4871

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm. Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002383

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARN, EB/ESC/ESP AND S/CT
TREASURY FOR OFAC AND OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2010
TAGS: ETTC EFIN PTER PREL JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: REGULATION OF CHARITIES

REF: A. STATE 90100

B. 01 AMMAN 4871

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm. Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)


1. (c) Jordanian charities and non-governmental social
service organizations are registered with and monitored by
the Ministry of Social Affairs and by the Ministry of
Religious Affairs in the case of religious organizations.
Their activities complement government-provided social
services, especially in poor areas of the country. A number
of groups also direct charitable contributions to Palestinian
beneficiaries in the West Bank and Gaza. Some of the larger
organizations, such as the Hashemite Welfare Foundation,
operate under the patronage of members of the royal family.
In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Trade supervises
the large and influential professional associations -- such
as the engineers, doctors, lawyers, and pharmacists
associations -- as well as chambers of industry and commerce.


2. (c) Post has no information that Jordanian NGOs are
providing financing for terrorist organizations. When we
raise the possibility, Jordanian government officials note
the small scale of Jordan's charitable infrastructure,
especially compared to that of the Gulf countries. However,
the professional associations are relatively well provisioned
financially (for example, they collect membership dues and
manage pension funds for members) and their leaderships
espouse political beliefs similar to those of domestic
Jordanian Islamic opposition groups, such as the Islamic
Action Front. This includes at least rhetorical support for
Palestinian "resistance groups."


3. (c) The oversight exercised by the government
organizations mentioned above is not stringent, and there may
be some unregulated groups with a putatively charitable
agenda. Although the Jordanian security services, primarily
the General Intelligence Directorate (GID),are aware of the
potential of charitable organizations to provide funding for
terrorist activities, the GID's limited resources are
primarily focused on investigating suspected terrorists and
interdicting weapons for possible use in terrorist
operations. The GID would likely be effective in monitoring
or stopping a specific financial transaction if provided the
necessary lead information. However, due to the complexities
of distinguishing legitimate charitable contributions from
monies being funneled to terrorist groups, many such small
transactions could occur without being detected.


4. Comment: The Jordanians are aware of the potential
misuse of charitable contributions for terrorist purposes.
However, since most officials believe the scale of such
activity is small, they tend to focus their limited resources
on the most immediate threats. Upcoming GOJ participation in
ATA counterterrorism legislation training could help to raise
the sensitivity of Jordanian officials to these issues, as
could more focused training opportunities on mechanisms for
countering illicit financial transfers.
Gnehm