Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03AMMAN1776
2003-03-25 07:16:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:
TFIZO1: AMMAN SITREP 10 (3/25 0800 LOCAL)
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001776
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2013
TAGS: AEMR AMGT ASEC CASC CVIS IZ JO
SUBJECT: TFIZO1: AMMAN SITREP 10 (3/25 0800 LOCAL)
REF: (A) FBIS GMP20030324000163 (B) FBIS
GMP20030324000186
Classified By: Acting DCM Doug Silliman. Reason 1.5 (b,d).
----------------
General Overview
----------------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001776
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2013
TAGS: AEMR AMGT ASEC CASC CVIS IZ JO
SUBJECT: TFIZO1: AMMAN SITREP 10 (3/25 0800 LOCAL)
REF: (A) FBIS GMP20030324000163 (B) FBIS
GMP20030324000186
Classified By: Acting DCM Doug Silliman. Reason 1.5 (b,d).
--------------
General Overview
--------------
1. (C) The Embassy continues on a normal schedule March 25,
with Consular services open. Services at ancillary
facilities -- the Peace Corps Office and the American
Language Center -- remain suspended.
2. (U) Lufthansa representatives reported they are resuming
flights to/from Amman three days a week, and they hope to be
back to five days a week by early April. A total of three
European carriers have now restored service to Amman. Air
France and Alitalia had announced similar decisions on 3/22
and 3/23 respectively.
--------------
Consular Issues
--------------
3. (C) An amcit intending to enter Iraq requested a second,
emergency, passport. She claimed to be an Israel-based
journalist with Cox Newspapers of Washington, D.C. and said
she intended to go to Iraq to cover the war and to visit her
Iraqi-citizen husband. CONOFFS reminded the amcit of current
travel restrictions for Iraq, and informed her that Jordanian
authorities are not permitting journalists to enter Iraq from
Jordan.
--------------
GOJ Actions/Statements
--------------
4. (U) According to the official Petra News Service (ref a),
King Abdullah affirmed on 3/24 that no military planes are
using Jordanian airspace to strike Iraq: "This Jordanian
stand is very clear, and we will not allow any party to use
our airspace to strike Iraq." In a meeting with the
President of the Jordanian Senate, the King also denied that
plans exist to convey military troops, originally intended to
move from Turkey into Iraq, through Jordan instead. He also
announced Jordan's willingness to allow the Iraqi Embassy in
Amman to exchange the three diplomats ordered to depart the
Kingdom with three other diplomats.
5. (U) The official Petra News Service reported a statement
by GOJ Information Minister Mohammed Adwan stating that four
Iraqis -- two who work for Iraqi airlines and two who work
for the Iraqi-Jordanian Land Transportation Company --
interrogated for security reasons on 3/23, were released on
3/24 (ref b).
--------------
Security
--------------
6. (C) No new issues. GOJ protection of the chancery
compound remains at a heightened state.
--------------
Refugee/Humanitarian Issues
--------------
7. (U) The Jordan-Iraq border remains open but the flow of
TCNs into Jordan has slowed to a trickle, with only a dozen
people entering Jordan overnight. Still no sign of any Iraqi
refugees/asylum seekers. UNHCR reports that two Amcits
entered Jordan overnight and were given authorization to move
directly to Amman.
8. (U) IOM has received a total of 482 TCNs at the Ruweished
transit camp since the onset of hostilities. 359 have now
departed Jordan and 123 currently remain in the transit camp.
The vast majority of TCNs are Sudanese (310 to date),
followed by Somalis (77) and Egyptians (31). The rest are a
mix of various African nationalities. IOM reports that it
has been able to repatriate most TCNs within 24-36 hours of
arrival in Jordan.
9. (U) 24 people remain in no-man's land on the border, held
up by documentation problems. Most of them are Palestinians
married to Jordanian citizens. UNHCR Rep Sten Bronee and the
Minister of Interior are at the border today and UNHCR
expects the situation will be resolved.
10. (C) UNHCR reported that the GOJ is seriously considering
halting the deportations of Iraqi nationals to Iraq until
hostilities have ended. (Note: Jordan currently is home to
an estimated 300,000 Iraqi citizens -- the vast majority of
whom are here without any legal status. Over the last six
months, the GOJ has been deporting out-of-status Iraqis,
largely as a security measure. End note.)
--------------
Press
--------------
11. (SBU) Embassy Public Affairs officers fielded several
questions overnight from local journalists asking about
rumors that either (a) VP Cheney was en route to the region
to try to stop his daughter from going to Baghdad to serve as
a human shield (sic); or (b) NEA DAS Liz Cheney was en route
to Baghdad with four unnamed Senators to negotiate a secret
cease-fire with Saddam Hussein. PA denied these rumors.
GNEHM
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2013
TAGS: AEMR AMGT ASEC CASC CVIS IZ JO
SUBJECT: TFIZO1: AMMAN SITREP 10 (3/25 0800 LOCAL)
REF: (A) FBIS GMP20030324000163 (B) FBIS
GMP20030324000186
Classified By: Acting DCM Doug Silliman. Reason 1.5 (b,d).
--------------
General Overview
--------------
1. (C) The Embassy continues on a normal schedule March 25,
with Consular services open. Services at ancillary
facilities -- the Peace Corps Office and the American
Language Center -- remain suspended.
2. (U) Lufthansa representatives reported they are resuming
flights to/from Amman three days a week, and they hope to be
back to five days a week by early April. A total of three
European carriers have now restored service to Amman. Air
France and Alitalia had announced similar decisions on 3/22
and 3/23 respectively.
--------------
Consular Issues
--------------
3. (C) An amcit intending to enter Iraq requested a second,
emergency, passport. She claimed to be an Israel-based
journalist with Cox Newspapers of Washington, D.C. and said
she intended to go to Iraq to cover the war and to visit her
Iraqi-citizen husband. CONOFFS reminded the amcit of current
travel restrictions for Iraq, and informed her that Jordanian
authorities are not permitting journalists to enter Iraq from
Jordan.
--------------
GOJ Actions/Statements
--------------
4. (U) According to the official Petra News Service (ref a),
King Abdullah affirmed on 3/24 that no military planes are
using Jordanian airspace to strike Iraq: "This Jordanian
stand is very clear, and we will not allow any party to use
our airspace to strike Iraq." In a meeting with the
President of the Jordanian Senate, the King also denied that
plans exist to convey military troops, originally intended to
move from Turkey into Iraq, through Jordan instead. He also
announced Jordan's willingness to allow the Iraqi Embassy in
Amman to exchange the three diplomats ordered to depart the
Kingdom with three other diplomats.
5. (U) The official Petra News Service reported a statement
by GOJ Information Minister Mohammed Adwan stating that four
Iraqis -- two who work for Iraqi airlines and two who work
for the Iraqi-Jordanian Land Transportation Company --
interrogated for security reasons on 3/23, were released on
3/24 (ref b).
--------------
Security
--------------
6. (C) No new issues. GOJ protection of the chancery
compound remains at a heightened state.
--------------
Refugee/Humanitarian Issues
--------------
7. (U) The Jordan-Iraq border remains open but the flow of
TCNs into Jordan has slowed to a trickle, with only a dozen
people entering Jordan overnight. Still no sign of any Iraqi
refugees/asylum seekers. UNHCR reports that two Amcits
entered Jordan overnight and were given authorization to move
directly to Amman.
8. (U) IOM has received a total of 482 TCNs at the Ruweished
transit camp since the onset of hostilities. 359 have now
departed Jordan and 123 currently remain in the transit camp.
The vast majority of TCNs are Sudanese (310 to date),
followed by Somalis (77) and Egyptians (31). The rest are a
mix of various African nationalities. IOM reports that it
has been able to repatriate most TCNs within 24-36 hours of
arrival in Jordan.
9. (U) 24 people remain in no-man's land on the border, held
up by documentation problems. Most of them are Palestinians
married to Jordanian citizens. UNHCR Rep Sten Bronee and the
Minister of Interior are at the border today and UNHCR
expects the situation will be resolved.
10. (C) UNHCR reported that the GOJ is seriously considering
halting the deportations of Iraqi nationals to Iraq until
hostilities have ended. (Note: Jordan currently is home to
an estimated 300,000 Iraqi citizens -- the vast majority of
whom are here without any legal status. Over the last six
months, the GOJ has been deporting out-of-status Iraqis,
largely as a security measure. End note.)
--------------
Press
--------------
11. (SBU) Embassy Public Affairs officers fielded several
questions overnight from local journalists asking about
rumors that either (a) VP Cheney was en route to the region
to try to stop his daughter from going to Baghdad to serve as
a human shield (sic); or (b) NEA DAS Liz Cheney was en route
to Baghdad with four unnamed Senators to negotiate a secret
cease-fire with Saddam Hussein. PA denied these rumors.
GNEHM