Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03AMMAN765
2003-02-04 12:05:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

JORDAN'S AMCHAM PLANS 2003 PROGRAM

Tags:  ETRD EINV BEXP JO 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000765 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV - LAWLESS
STATE PASS USTR FOR NED SAUMS
USDOC FOR 4520/ITA/MAC/MWILLIAMSON
USDOC FOR 4520/ITA/MAC/ONE/COBERG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD EINV BEXP JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S AMCHAM PLANS 2003 PROGRAM


-------
SUMMARY
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000765

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV - LAWLESS
STATE PASS USTR FOR NED SAUMS
USDOC FOR 4520/ITA/MAC/MWILLIAMSON
USDOC FOR 4520/ITA/MAC/ONE/COBERG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD EINV BEXP JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S AMCHAM PLANS 2003 PROGRAM


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SUMMARY
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1. (u) With the regional outlook uncertain for the coming
months, the Board of Directors of JABA, Jordan's AmCham, have
restructured their event planning for 2003. They are
shifting more of their events to late in the year and
planning more trips to the U.S. in an effort to keep momentum
going from the December Joint Economic Committee (JEC),while
recognizing the difficulty of enticing investors, speakers,
or business partners to Amman in the spring/summer timeframe.
As JABA's plans develop, we will be in contact with
interested Washington agencies for follow-up and support.
END SUMMARY.

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AJEX RESCHEDULED
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2. (u) In a meeting with the Ambassador on January 26,
JABA's Board of Directors outlined an ambitious yet practical
plan for 2003 to keep interest levels in the FTA and QIZ up
in the U.S., and to keep JABA members active in promoting the
FTA and building on the relationships they established with
American partners during the December JEC meeting in
Washington. Of particular note, JABA has decided to
reschedule AJEX, the American products exhibition and seminar
series, to the end of September. the JABA Board had
originally planned to hold AJEX in late March, but found it
increasingly difficult to secure commitments from sponsors,
speakers, or participants from the U.S. to attend an event in
Amman in that timeframe. JABA hopes the new date will avoid
complications from any potential conflict with Iraq in the
spring, and will also avoid a scheduling crunch with a
similar event, World Trade Week, which is currently scheduled
for early June. In addition, the September date will allow
JABA to tie AJEX in with the second annual JEC meeting, which
Trade Minister Bashir has informally said should be held in
Amman in September. JABA will continue to seek strong
Embassy, USAID, and FCS support to maximize the impact of
AJEX.

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3 CITIES/3 SECTORS
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3. (u) Following on discussions with Commerce DAS
Williamson in December, JABA is planning a 3 cities/3 sectors
tour of the U.S. for late March/early April. JABA has

already received a letter of support from DAS Williamson, and
is in the process of identifying the industry sectors to be
represented on the tour and the cities and program they hope
to put together. This tour to the U.S. is in place of the
visit of a delegation of U.S. business associations that had
been planned for the original AJEX dates in late March.
Through this tour, JABA hopes both to help Jordanian industry
leaders develop ties with U.S. partners (import, export,
distribution, and/or marketing),and to keep the U.S.-Jordan
FTA in the news in the U.S., at least among targeted
audiences in trade and industrial sectors.

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U.S. TIJARA COUNTERPART
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4. (u) JABA will be working over the coming year with the
Jordanian Embassy in Washington and with NUSACC and the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce to encourage U.S. business associations
and/or companies to form a counterpart organization to the
TIJARA initiative currently underway in Jordan. The concept
is to form a roundtable of "friends of Jordan" that will meet
regularly to discuss FTA opportunities, economic developments
in Jordan, and upcoming trade and industry events. JABA
hopes to get either NUSACC or (preferably) the U.S. Chamber
to be the "champion" of such a group, which they see as a
vehicle for educating and advertising in the U.S. business
community about economic opportunities in Jordan. The
Jordanian Embassy in Washington will also participate, and
will likely encourage appropriate officers from State,
Commerce, and USTR (at a minimum) to take part in the
meetings.

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REGIONAL AMCHAM
--------------


5. (u) JABA's final major initiative for 2003 is to talk to
AmChams in the MENA region about establishing a regional
AmCham body that could meet regularly and share data on
members in an effort to multiply the benefits of increased
U.S. interest in Jordan into expanded business relationships
among Arab companies with U.S. market interests. The idea
would be modeled on the GCC AmCham. As a first step, we are
encouraging JABA to develop contacts with their Moroccan
counterparts in anticipation of the conclusion of a
U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement. While much of Jordan's
business community fears such an agreement, JABA is
increasingly taking the view that such an agreement will
actually create new opportunities for cooperation among
Moroccan and Jordanian businesses, which could use cumulation
of origin concepts to develop new business alliances to
export to the U.S.

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COMMENT
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6. (u) JABA's plans are a practical reaction to the current
uncertainty in the region, which they see as likely to
continue for several months. By shifting their programs away
from Jordan and into the U.S. and other regional countries,
JABA hopes to maintain the momentum of new business
relationships being developed under the FTA, and especially
through the JEC mechanism. We will be working with JABA to
develop many of these programs, and will be in contact with
interested Washington agencies as appropriate for follow-up
and support. Most immediately, we are following up with JABA
on recent discussions we had with DoC regarding the 3
cities/3 sectors program and the TIJARA counterpart
initiative.
GNEHM