FOLLOW UP ON RJ FLIGHTS TO IRAQ: FONMIN TALKS TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 003347 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2007 TAGS: PREL EAIR IZ JO SUBJECT: FOLLOW UP ON RJ FLIGHTS TO IRAQ: FONMIN TALKS TO RJ PRESIDENT, MFA SAYS U.S. MESSAGE LOUD AND CLEAR REF: A. STATE 112154 ¶B. AMMAN 3130 ¶C. USUN 1531 Classified By: PolCouns Doug Silliman for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) Following up on our June 11 demarche on the frequency and regularity of Royal Jordanian (RJ) flights to Iraq (ref b),PolCouns met June 20 with Ali al-Ayed, Personal Assistant to FonMin Muasher, and Samer Naber, MFA Legal Advisor. Ayed said that, since the June 11 demarche, the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad had issued a circular diplomatic note retracting its earlier note (which had advertised RJ flights to Amman and offered diplomatic discounts). He said the issue of RJ flights to Iraq was being discussed "at a very high level," noting that FonMin Muasher had spoken to RJ President Samer Majali about it earlier this week. Ayed said the GOJ had heard the U.S. message "loud and clear" and had no intention of violating the UN sanctions regime on Iraq. ¶2. (C) PolCouns reminded Ayed and Naber that it was not only the advertising of the flights, but their regularity and frequency, that had raised concerns in Washington. He hoped that the GOJ would take these USG concerns into consideration in their internal deliberations. Gnehm