DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON SYRIA-IRAQ BORDER SECURITY

S E C R E T AMMAN 006669 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2014 TAGS: ECON ETRD IZ JO PREL PTER SY SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON SYRIA-IRAQ BORDER SECURITY REF: A. SECSTATE 166991 ¶B. AMMAN 06369 (NOTAL) Classified By: CDA: David Hale, Reason 1.4(b) (d) ¶1. (S) Charge delivered reftel points on Syria-Iraq border security to ROYAL Court Minister Samir al-Rifai on August 3 and on August 8 to Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez. Fayez confirmed he would be traveling to Damascus on August 20 for a meeting with his counterpart, primarily focused on economic issues. Both Fayez and Rifai indicated that Jordan strongly shared our concerns -- these issues are continual themes in meetings with senior officials here -- and had voiced them to the Syrian leadership. Unfortunately, Rifai said, the message fell on deaf ears there. ¶2. (C) Fayez said his trip, in part, was a response to a request from the Syrian government for guidance on establishing modern, functioning, free market banking, trade and commercial sectors, with appropriate, WTO-compliant regulations and guidelines. Fayez would be taking with him a team of experts from the Central Bank, Trade Ministry, and other agencies involved in Jordan's own economic transformation plan. ¶3. (S) COMMENT: The Prime Minister made clear that he would not be engaging the Syrian government on military/security issues, although they are a source of considerable irritation in the bilateral relationship, ref B. He said the border security issues had been "solved", which seems doubtful despite a recent trip to Syria by Jordan's Director of Military Intelligence. Fayez, who is under public pressure from the King to raise his government's performance on its domestic agenda, may simply have been told to avoid security matters when in Syria. He told Charge he would ask the King whether he, or some other official, should convey our message to Damascus. ¶4. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. HALE