UNCLAS AMMAN 005405

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR NEA/ARN, OES/ENV - C. RICHARD
STATE ALSO FOR OES/PCI - C. TURNER AND E. SHAW
PASS TO USTR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ECON KTIA PREL JO
SUBJECT: FTA ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM STILL ON A FAST TRACK



1. This is an action cable. See last paragraph.


2. (SBU) Ambassador on June 28 paid a farewell call on
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities and Minister of
Environment Alia Hattough-Bouran in which she raised the FTA
Environmental Forum. (NOTE: The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade
Agreement included a side-letter "Joint Statement on
Environmental Technical Cooperation" calling for the
establishment of a Joint Forum on Environmental Technical
Cooperation. At the FTA Joint Committee, held June 8 in
Washington, D.C., both Jordan and the U.S. had agreed to hold
the first Environmental Forum in July. END NOTE.)


3. (SBU) Minister Bouran expressed her ministry's continued
commitment to host the first Environmental Forum in Jordan
this July. She mentioned information that she had received
indicating Washington might wish to delay the forum until the
fall. She asked the Ambassador to clarify the dates, as she
was keeping her calendar in the second half of July open in
order to hold the forum. Ambassador reassured her of the
Embassy's willingness to support the Forum in July and
promised to check with Washington on the timing.


4. (SBU) ACTION REQUESTED: Embassy supports the decision
taken in Washington during the JC to hold the Environmental
Forum in July in Amman. Embassy requests that Department
consult with the concerned agencies to determine if July
remains a feasible date and, if so, to confirm a proposed
date for the Environmental Forum so we in turn can reconfirm
dates with Minister Bouran.
GNEHM