JORDAN LIKELY TO BE HELPFUL ON IRAQI

S E C R E T AMMAN 005471 SIPDIS NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2014 TAGS: ECON EFIN MOPS PREL PTER JO IZ SUBJECT: JORDAN LIKELY TO BE HELPFUL ON IRAQI TERRORIST/INSURGENCY FINANCE Classified By: Ambassador Edward Gnehm, for reasons 1.4 (b),(c),and ( d). ¶1. (S/NF). The Jordanian government strongly supports the interests of the United States in reducing the terrorist violence on-going in Iraq, violence which Jordan has suffered from directly with the August 2003 attack on its Embassy in Baghdad. Political stability in Iraq and a peaceful environment in which Jordanian companies can trade and invest remains a top goal of both King Abdullah and the government as a whole. Jordan has been helpful in freezing Iraqi assets, and has transferred $250 million in formerly frozen assets to the Development Fund for Iraq. Jordan has also been cooperative with the USG in stopping terrorist financing. ¶2. (S/NF). Nevertheless, in the case of Jordan, an Executive Order authorizing the freezing of assets in the U.S. of individuals and entities supporting the Iraqi insurgency would not in itself enhance our ability to interdict funds in Jordan. Jordanian Law allows the Central Bank to stop any banking transaction related to "a crime or an illegitimate act," thus providing sufficient legal recourse to stop Iraqi terrorist/insurgency financing. The U.S. would, in most cases, need only to provide the GOJ will the relevant information in time to allow the government to freeze a suspect account or to stop a suspect transaction. ¶3. (S/NF). Regarding the individuals and organizations listed in para. 7 of reftel, post would not expect Jordanian opposition to the designations proposed. GNEHM