JORDAN REQUESTS DEMINING ASSISTANCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001123

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2015
TAGS: KHDP MASS PGOV PREL IS JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN REQUESTS DEMINING ASSISTANCE

Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) Prince Mir'ed bin Ra'ad bin Zeid, Chairman of the
National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation (NCDR),
met with Charge February 8 at his initiative to provide a
progress report on demining in Jordan and to request U.S.
political and financial assistance. Prince Mir'ed asked that
the U.S. encourage the Israeli government to assist in the
removal of mines laid by Israel in the Wadi Araba region.
Action request at para 6. End Summary.

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Israeli Land Mines in Wadi Araba
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2. (U) Appointed Chairman of the NCDR in November 2004,
Prince Mir'ed told Charge he hopes to fulfill Jordan's
obligations under the Ottawa convention to be completely
mine-free by 2009. According to Mir'ed, Jordan has removed
100,000 mines from the ground and destroyed its stockpile. An
estimated 200,000 mines remain in the ground. The NCDR claims
that approximately one third (70,000) of those mines were
laid by the Israeli military on lands that Jordan regained
control over after the signing of its 1994 peace agreement
with Israel, mostly in the Wadi Araba area in southern Jordan
and in Aqaba.


3. (C) Prince Mir'ed felt the presence of Israeli mines on
Jordanian lands presented both a challenge and an
opportunity. The challenge to the Royal Engineers Corps
(REC),the military unit charged with demining, is overcoming
the danger posed by clearing foreign landmines. It is always
safer for a country to remove its own mines since the
military force that laid them has familiarity with the type
of mines used, the pattern of mines within a minefield, and
the techniques used for laying the mines. In order to remove
the Israeli mines the REC would require extensive retraining
that would drain resources from other demining efforts.
Prince Mir'ed nevertheless viewed as an opportunity the
potential bilateral cooperation between Israel and Jordan for
the removal of these mines. He believed a cooperative
humanitarian demining effort could provide a positive,
tangible development in the peace process. He said the
symbolism of removing mines along the shared border and
preventing civilian casualties would serve both sides well.
Prince Mir'ed intends to approach the Israelis on this issue
in the near future.


4. (U) After returning control of lands in Wadi Araba and
Aqaba to Jordan, Israel provided maps with minefield
sketches. However, Prince Mir'ed said that the maps did not
give enough detail to identify the locations of the
landmines. Therefore, a technical survey of the Wadi Araba
region is required in order to execute a demining plan.
According to a rough estimate, such a survey would cost
around USD 2 million. Subsequent discussions with NCDR Board
Secretary Yasin Majali and the U.N. Chief Technical Advisor

SIPDIS
to the NCDR, Dr. Olaf Juergenson, suggested that this cost
could be reduced with the assistance of Israeli and Jordanian
maps of known minefields.

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Vision of a Regional Center for Mine Action
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5. (U) Prince Mir'ed elaborated on the Jordanian plan to
create a regional center for mine action. He pointed out that
Jordan was the only country in the region to sign the Ottawa
convention. He explained that this placed Jordan in the
unique position of serving as an example for neighboring
countries. Mir'ed hoped to create a comprehensive training
center for instruction on the removal of landmines, the
rehabilitation of landmine victims, and on mine risk
education and awareness. He saw this center as a repository
for information and expertise that could help countries like
Iraq, Sudan, and Lebanon deal with their landmine challenges.

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Comment and Action Request
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6. (C) The success of the GOJ's ongoing demining program has
resulted in Jordan's graduation from U.S. NADR demining
assistance, straining Jordan's limited resources and forcing
the GOJ to push back its timetable to rid the country of
landmines. Post recommends encouraging the GOI to respond
favorably to a Jordanian request for assistance in demining
the Wadi Araba and Aqaba regions, to counter the dangers in
removing Israeli mines and to help showcase the benefits of
Arab cooperation with Israel. It is in our strong interest to
encourage practical, cross-border Israeli-Jordanian
cooperation, particularly in the wake of the Sharm summit and
the decision to return a Jordanian Ambassador to Israel, as a
means to demonstrate the humanitarian and economic advantages
of peace. Along with engagement of the GOI, a relatively
modest U.S. contribution of funds for spare parts for
Jordan's existing de-mining equipment could help stimulate
that cooperation. Post would appreciated Department's
reaction. End Comment.
HALE