TFIZ01: MUASHER SAYS STORY ON RESUMPTION OF OIL

S E C R E T AMMAN 001881

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2013
TAGS: PREL MOPS EPET IZ JO
SUBJECT: TFIZ01: MUASHER SAYS STORY ON RESUMPTION OF OIL
TANKER TRAFFIC BETWEEN JORDAN AND IRAQ MOST LIKELY NOT TRUE

Classified By: A/DCM Doug Silliman for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D)


1. (S) The Ambassador raised with Foreign Minister Marwan
Muasher March 29 local press reports that as many as thirty
Jordanian oil tanker trucks have returned to Iraq to restart
the delivery of Iraqi crude to Jordan. The Ambassador said
he found the reports beyond comprehension. In response to a
specific Jordanian request two days ago to resume deliveries
of Iraqi crude via road, we had told them that we could not
agree to any heavy truck traffic on the Amman-Baghdad highway
moving east to west. The Ambassador commented that, in fact,
he had checked with the U.S. military in the region and did
not believe that tankers had actually gone back to Iraq. He
asked for confirmation from the GOJ that this was correct.


2. (S) He repeated warnings that it would be extremely
dangerous for tanker trucks to try to resume crude oil
deliveries. Fighting continued in western Iraq. Coalition
forces dominated the area, but have not yet secured the
Amman-Baghdad highway, nor the road to the oil loading
terminal near H-1. Further, the Ambassador pointed out the
dire consequences to U.S.-Jordanian relations if coalition or
Iraqi forces were accidentally to kill a Jordanian oil truck
driver. The public outcry would be almost uncontrollable.
The GOJ would find itself in an impossible position. The
damage from such an incident would far outweigh any gain
Jordan would receive by resuming a small fraction of its oil
imports from Iraq -- imports not needed since alternate
sources had been secured.


3. (S) Muasher said he did not believe the reports to be
true, but pledged he would check into them and respond
quickly. He agreed that the risks of restarting land transit
of Iraqi oil under the current conditions far outweighed the
possible benefits.

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COMMENT
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4. (S) Our military colleagues in Task Force - West report
that no Jordanian oil tankers have crossed the Iraqi border
in recent days. While it appears that this press story may
not be true, we felt it necessary to set down a strong marker
against any resumption of oil shipments to Jordan while
hostilities are ongoing in Iraq. From a more long-term
perspective, the Ambassador reminded the Foreign Minister
that a mutually agreed condition to our supplemental economic
assistance was an end to Jordanian dependency on "subsidized"
Iraqi oil.
GNEHM