TFIZ01: INFOMIN: SEVEN OIL TRUCKS GO TO IRAQ,

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 001898

SIPDIS

CENTCOM FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2013
TAGS: PREL EPET ETRD IZ JO
SUBJECT: TFIZ01: INFOMIN: SEVEN OIL TRUCKS GO TO IRAQ,
RETURN EMPTY; JORDAN WILL NOT RESUME IRAQI CRUDE IMPORTS

REF: AMMAN 1881

Classified By: PolCouns Doug Silliman for reasons 1.5 (B)(D)


1. (C) Information Minister Mohammad Adwan told the
Ambassador March 30 that, contrary to information reported in
ref conversation with Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher, the
GOJ had in fact sent seven oil tanker trucks to al-Qaem in
Iraq (near H-1) to take delivery of some Iraqi oil. The
trucks had returned empty. According to Adwan, the Iraqi
official in charge of the oil terminal at al-Qaem had told
the drivers that he had no "license" to give any more crude
oil to Jordan.


2. (C) Adwan said that the exercise was "a publicity stunt"
to disprove Iraqi VP Taha Yassin Ramadan's accusatory
statement last week that Jordan had shut off Iraqi oil
shipments. Jordan, he confirmed, has no intention of
resuming shipments of Iraqi oil. Adwan said he was pleased
that, should Iraqi officials again publicly criticize Jordan
over oil or trade issues, Jordan would be able to respond
that it was Iraq, not Jordan, that had shut down oil trade.


3. (C) COMMENT: The Ambassador castigated Adwan about the
serious damage this "publicity stunt" could have caused to
U.S.-Jordanian relations if something had gone wrong.

GNEHM