JORDAN'S NEW BORDER TASK FORCE AIMS AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 007659

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARN
DEPT ALSO FOR NP/ECC - P. VAN SONN, A. CHURCH, K. CROUCH
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE - D. MARTIN
CBP/INA FOR P. WARKER AND PROGAM MANAGER A. BACHELLER
DOC FOR PETERSEN-BEARD
PASS USDOE/NNSA FOR T. PERRY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/14/2014
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP ETRD JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S NEW BORDER TASK FORCE AIMS AT
FACILITATING TRADE

Classified By: CDA DAVID HALE. REASONS 1.5 (B,D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: The GOJ cabinet approved a new
inter-ministerial border management task force that will
focus on facilitating trade and travel. The cabinet decision
appointed National Customs as the lead agency in a task force
comprising nine ministries and agencies. It is too soon to
say whether the task force will be a plus for border
cooperation, but its mission did not include security, which
is a setback for our Export and Related Border Security
(EXBS) Program. Embassy will encourage the task force to
emphasize more inter-agency cooperation at the borders. END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) The cabinet August 10 approved a new border
management task force. Finance minister Mohammed Abu
Hammour, who oversees National Customs, proposed the measure.
According to a source in the Prime Minister's office, an
August 12 written decision signed by the PM stated that
National Customs would head the task force. The decision
stated that the task force aims to "ease the passage of trade
and people."

3. (SBU) The border task force comprises representatives of
the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of
Transport, the Ministry of Health, the General Intelligence
Directorate (GID),the Public Security Directorate (PSD),the
Jordan Armed Forces (JAF),the Jordan Institute of Standards
and Metrology, the Ports Authority, and National Customs.
Border functions in Jordan are shared among a surprisingly
broad array of agencies. For example, even the Health
Ministry has limited frontier responsibilities, testing
imports of medicines, grains and other commodities, as well
as processed foods.


4. (C) Security is noticeably absent from the task force's
goals, despite the presence on the task force of GID, PSD,
and the JAF. The three agencies deploy intelligence and
enforcement resources along all of Jordan's borders (not just
legal crossings) to detect and deter trans-national smuggling
and illicit acts, including terrorist activities. The
cabinet rejected a key proposal of the Finance Minister:
that the Prime Minister appoint a chairman from outside the
concerned agencies who would report to the Prime Minister.


5. (SBU) USAID's Economic Opportunities unit masterminded
the idea of an inter-ministerial border committee and has
promoted it among the respective agencies since last January.
The resulting task force -- with cabinet approval -- should
now lead to some greater cooperation at the borders regarding
trade matters and passenger handling. It is too early to
tell whether this initiative will lead to improvements at the
frontiers; agencies are just lining up their candidates for
task force membership and the committee will likely take
until the end of the year to get up and running.


6. (C) COMMENT: USAID,s task was considerable in bringing
about even this limited level of cooperation in a government
notorious for bureaucratic in-fighting. While we will
encourage the task force to focus on improved liaison among
security agencies, it is more likely to serve as a sounding
board and information gathering tool for those agencies. The
Jordan Armed Forces Directorate of Military Intelligence, the
GID, and the PSD Borders Administration have relied on
working relationships at the center based on a top-down
approach to deal with serious border security issues.


7. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.
HALE