SECURITY EVALUATIONS OF REFUGEE PROCESSING SITE AT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002129 SIPDIS CAIRO FOR REFCORD, DEPT FOR PRM/A, DHS FOR BCIS, ROME FOR DHS DISTRICT DIRECTOR, ATHENS FOR DHS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF ASEC AMGT JO SUBJECT: SECURITY EVALUATIONS OF REFUGEE PROCESSING SITE AT UNHCR COMPOUND - RUWEISHED. REF: A. CAIRO 03592 ¶B. SECSTATE 202708 ¶C. AMMAN 5629 ¶D. SECSTATE 280847 THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS KEYED TO QUESTIONS IN REFTEL. SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED ¶A. INTERVIEW SITE: The Regional Security Office, Amman, Jordan, conducted a security survey of the UNHCR compound in Ruweished on 08 March 2004 and prepared the following report. ¶1. The UNHCR compound is located in the town of Ruweished, population approximately 9,000 people. Ruweished is 80 kilometers East from the Iraqi border and approximately 285 kilometers from Amman. The Ruweished compound is 20 kilometers from refugee camp Alpha. The nearest town to Ruweished is Al Safawi. The distance is approximately 50 kilometers west. The nearest military airbase is 40 kilometers west. ¶2. The UNHCR compound is approximately 40 acres surrounded by a 10 to 15 ft cemented wall. East of the compound wall, is the village courthouse. West of the compound wall is a school for girls and boys. To the South and North is residential housing. On the West side, is the main gate entrance. A locally hired unarmed security guard controls access to the compound. The UNHCR staff employees 6 locally hired security guards. The majority of the guards are retired Jordanian military personnel. The only security training these guards have received is from their military training. Each guard performs an 8-hour shift. The main entrance is the only way into the compound as well as out. The main office must clear all visitors, before entering the compound. ¶3. Within the compound, is the UNHCR office building (a former residential house. The office contains 5 office spaces, 1 radio room, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchen. It is approximately 350 sq. meters in size. The stairwell leads only to the roof. The building has 2 doors, one in the front and one in the back. Both doors are secure with key locks and bolt latch. All of the office,s building windows are grilled. In case of an emergency, the grilled windows cannot be removed. Inside the building, there are no smoke detectors and 1 fire extinguisher. UNHCR personnel are provided with a first aid kit and have received training in first aid. In case of an emergency, personnel are instructed to call the hospital or fire department, depending on the emergency. The local emergency telephone number is 191. Both fire department and hospital are 3 minutes away from the compound. The police station is approximately 3 minutes away. The fire department is equipped with 2 fire trucks. The local hospital is equipped with 2 emergency vehicles and a helicopter-landing pad. The hospital can provide the basic medical care, should the need arise. Any other serious medical emergencies will have to be sent to Amman. Due to the location of the village courthouse, the local police frequently patrol the area. Crime in Ruweished is very low. ¶4. The front gate security guard performs screening procedures into the UNHCR compound. Any visits to the compound are coordinated with the front office. If pre-screening and DHS refugees, interviews are to take place at the UNHCR compound, the refugees will be transported from No Man,s Land (NML) to the compound via bus. Two local policemen will be inside the bus throughout the travel to the site. Once the bus arrives at the compound, one guard is left inside the bus and another is inside the waiting room. UNHCR personnel handle only 15 refugees inside the waiting room. Any additional cases would be kept outside in the bus or within site of the local policeman. Refugees are handled by case number. The actual interviews will be conducted in a small two-room cement building, located on the northeast corner of the perimeter wall. The two interview rooms are about 20 meters away from the main building and are approximately 3 meters by 4 meters in size with one grilled window in each room and one fire extinguisher. Entry and exiting can only be obtained by using the two front doors in each room. No emergency exits are available. Refugees are escorted by one of the staff personnel. The US Refugee Admissions Specialist and Assistant will be conducting the interviews separately. Personnel conducting refugee interviews are equipped with Motorola GP 340 radios. ¶B. COMMUNICATIONS: ¶5. UNHCR personnel have 3 modes of communication: cell phones, landline telephones, and Motorola GP340. The radio room, located within the office building, has one channel link to the local police station. This channel is used only in case of emergencies. Each office room has a landline telephone that is operational. All of the UNHCR employees have cell phones. Security guards at the entrance gate are also equipped with Motorola GP 340 radios. The facility uses telephones and cell phones for all forms of communication. The equivalent of 911 in Jordan is 191 for an emergency. In the event an officer is involved in an emergency situation he/she should call post,s marine security guard (post one)and/or the RSO,s office. ¶C. HOTEL AND TRANSPORTATION: ¶6. The town of Ruweished has no public transportation or hotel services. UNHCR provides its personnel with (4) 4 x 4 wheel drive vehicles, Nissan Patrol, for staff use. Most of the roads in Ruweished are paved. UNHCR have rented a 4-bedroom home for any guest staying over night. The guesthouse is approximately 1 minute,s drive away from the compound. Police and Fire Department is 3 minutes away from the guesthouse. Ruweished hospital has a 3 minutes response time to the house. On each of the windows there are bar grills that cannot be removed. The house itself does not come equipped with any smoke detectors. Security for the guesthouse is provided by a locally hired unarmed security guard. UNHCR hires 3 guards to work an 8-hour shift on the residence. The only security training the guards have is what they obtain during their military service. ¶D. THREAT ASSESSMENT: ¶7. While there has been no specific threat information concerning Ruweished, the following information specifically pertains to Jordan: While anti-West sentiment has been less pronounced since the end of the Gulf War, political issues involving post war Iraq and the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian situation continue to fuel resentment toward U.S. policy. Warden messages disseminated in January and March 2004, alerted Americans to potential terrorist targeting of U.S. interests in Jordan, including hotels. Recent incidents in Jordan remind us of the ability of transnational terrorist groups, as well as less sophisticated local elements, to target Americans and Western interests in Jordan. In September 2003 13 individuals were arrested for plotting attacks against U.S. and Jordanian targets, including the U.S. Embassy in Amman. In May 2003, three individuals connected to the Zarqawi network were arrested for planning attacks against foreigners and tourist locations. The October 28, 2002 assassination of a U.S. diplomat in Amman outside his residence was ultimately linked to al-Qaeda. Jordanian authorities arrested the assassins in December 2002. In October 2002, Americans in Jordan were informed of a potential kidnapping plot by al-Qaeda. In December 1999, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda was arrested in Jordan. This group was in the late planning stages of attacks against western hotels and tourist sites. The most recent published terrorist alerts have stated that extremist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests worldwide. Crime is generally not a serious problem for travelers in Jordan, although petty theft is somewhat common in the downtown Amman Hashimiyah Square area and near the Roman amphitheater. In the narrow streets of the old city and at some of the more popular tourist sites, crowded conditions invite pickpockets and other petty criminals. Travelers should be more guarded in these areas and not present easy opportunities to criminals. American citizens and official visitors traveling in Jordan should exercise caution, be alert and stay informed of regional and local events that could quickly impact the security environment in the country. It is also recommended to maintain a low profile and not establish predictable patterns of movement, even if only visiting for a short period. GNEHM