TFIZ01: JORDAN SEEKS U.S. ASSISTANCE TO RETURN

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002400 SIPDIS CENTCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2013 TAGS: PREL MOPS IZ JO SUBJECT: TFIZ01: JORDAN SEEKS U.S. ASSISTANCE TO RETURN SOME DIPLOMATIC STAFF TO BAGHDAD Classified By: PolCouns Doug Silliman for reasons 1.5 (B)(D) ¶1. (C) During a meeting with the Ambassador and PolCouns April 20, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shaher Bak asked for USG assistance in helping the GOJ reopen its Embassy in Baghdad. Muasher said that Jordan wished to return the Ambassador and some diplomatic staff. He said the Embassy staff will be needed to provide administrative and logistical support to the Jordanian Army field hospital that will be set up this week. Muasher asked that Coalition forces provide safe passage into Baghdad for Jordanian diplomatic staff on Wednesday, April ¶23. MinState Bak said that Jordan was preparing to provide security for its Embassy compound (where the entire staff would reside in the short term). He noted that Jordanian Embassy staff in Baghdad would also want to coordinate with Coalition forces on the ground regarding security conditions in Baghdad, particularly between the Embassy and the site of the field hospital. Muasher mentioned that "the Kurds" are asking that Jordan send a second hospital to Mosul. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador said that the U.S. would work with Jordan to facilitate the return of Jordanian diplomatic staff, but could not at the moment provide exact details on what the U.S. or other Coalition forces would be able to do. He noted that conditions within Baghdad are improving day by day, but said there remains some risk in sending personnel in to Baghdad. ¶3. (C) Following the meeting, we coordinated with Task Force - West (TF-W) on options for assisting Jordanian diplomatic personnel to return to Baghdad. The U.S. military over the weekend declared the Amman-Baghdad highway permissive from the Jordanian border to just west of ar-Ramadi. We are exploring with the GOJ several options, such as including the diplomats in other large convoys, or flying them into Baghdad airport on a Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) C-130 along with other Jordanian supplies and humanitarian donations. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: We believe that the presence of a Jordanian Embassy and a Jordanian Army field hospital in Iraq will provide both humanitarian and political benefits; we, therefore, want to help facilitate the return of diplomatic personnel to provide support. We will continue to work with TF-W and the GOJ to arrange the return of Jordanian diplomats. GNEHM