JORDAN'S NATIONAL POLICE DIRECTOR ON PRIORITIES

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005540 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARN S.WILLIAMS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/02/2013 TAGS: PGOV KCRM PBTS PTER JO SUBJECT: JORDAN'S NATIONAL POLICE DIRECTOR ON PRIORITIES AND REGIONAL ISSUES REF: AMMAN 5501 Classified By: CDA DAVID M HALE FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: During an August 27 meeting with Emboffs and visiting Congressional staff, Public Security Directorate (PSD) Director General Tahseen Shurdom cited training and equipment as his fiscal priorities. He reiterated his government,s willingness to train Iraqi police officers and showed concern over smuggling into Jordan from other regional states. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) In a meeting with House Appropriations Committee staff members, Director General Shurdom expressed his desire to increase investments in personnel for the PSD, Jordan,s national police force. He mentioned his plan to construct a new training academy in the south of Jordan, an economically disadvantaged region, and his hopes for better logistical support for the PSD. He said Jordan's training center could serve the region. While pleased with the number of training courses offered by the USG to PSD officers, Shurdom harked back to his experiences as a Jordanian Armed Forces officer with the frequent IMET training offered through the Defense Department. He suggested that such an arrangement with consistently available slots scheduled a year or more out would assist the PSD in its planning. ¶3. (C) Turning to regional issues, Shurdom reiterated the GOJ,s hopes for re-establishing order in Iraq, and referred specifically to Jordan,s willingness to train Iraqi police officers, where Jordan has a comparative advantage. He also confirmed his readiness to discuss the practicalities of implementation with officials of the Coalition Provisional Authority at the earliest opportunity. Shurdom explained that the PSD works closely with Jordan,s General Intelligence Directorate on all border control issues, adding that Syrian cooperation on cross-border smuggling is non-existent (see reftel). According to Shurdom, Jordan is a transit country in the global drug trade, with contraband flowing primarily from the north through Jordan to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. ¶4. (C) On the peace process, Shurdom reiterated the GOJ,s ongoing support and stressed that the PSD continues to work closely with its Israeli and Palestinian counterparts. When asked about terrorism in Israel and the Occupied Territories, he stated that support for Palestinian militants continues to flow from Syria, Iran and other regional actors. ¶5. (U) CPA Baghdad minimize considered. HALE