JORDAN HOPES UNHCR EXCOM MEMBERSHIP WILL THAW ITS

UNCLAS AMMAN 003388

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR PRM, IO AND NEA
GENEVA FOR RMA
BRUSSELS FOR MEZNAR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF JO UNHCR
SUBJECT: JORDAN HOPES UNHCR EXCOM MEMBERSHIP WILL THAW ITS
"FROZEN" DELIBERATIONS ON THE 1951 REFUGEE CONVENTION

REF: A. STATE 75462

B. 00 AMMAN 4833


1. (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified --
please protect accordingly.


2. (SBU) Refcoord delivered on April 28 ref A demarche
Dr. Khalid Takhayneh of the Foreign Ministry's
International Organizations Department. The demarche
supported Jordan's application for membership in UNHCR's
Executive Committee (EXCOM),and requested a briefing on
GOJ views of the 1951 Convention on the Status of
Refugees. While welcoming USG support for Jordan's EXCOM
bid, Takhayneh argued that the GOJ could not table
legislation to ratify the 1951 Convention at this time,
given the strong opposition that exists within Parliament
to admitting any additional Iraqi or Palestinian refugees.
Takhayneh added that relations between the GOJ and UNHCR
were strained, and that the Foreign Ministry believed
UNHCR had "violated" articles in its 1998 Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) which require it to find durable
solutions for refugees within six months of their arrival
in Jordan.


3. (SBU) Asked about the inter-ministerial committee Jordan
established in 2000 to consider accession to the 1951
Convention (ref B),Takhayneh said that the committee had
been charged with reviewing several international
protocols, and that work on the refugee conventions was
currently "frozen," given that anti-terror legislation was
a higher priority. When the 1951 Convention was under
active consideration, Takhayneh said that the Interior
Ministry had raised objections to provisions that grant
refugees the right to work, and to Article 1.C, fearing
that Palestinians who have been granted Jordanian
nationality, but are considered refugees, might lose their
refugee status. Takayneh promised to convey the USG
request to consider signing the convention to senior
Foreign Ministry officials, but noted that the MFA had
already failed to persuade other ministries to consider
signing on to the 1967 Protocol as an intermediate step.
However, Takhayneh welcomed any background information the
USG could provide on implementing legislation other
signatories from the region have adopted as potential future
fodder.


4. (SBU) At an April 26 farewell event hosted by post, UNHCR
Jordan Rep Sten Bronee told refcoord that UNHCR had
abandoned its efforts to press Jordan to ratify the 1951
Convention in favor of "more realistic" options. He
explained that UNHCR calculates that the best commitment it
can secure from Jordan at this time is new domestic
legislation that would replicate the protection and
procedural principles contained in the 1951 Convention and
1967 Protocol, but avoid any discussion on the right of
return by being "less specific on Article 1.C, and avoiding
signing on to Article 1.D altogether." (NOTE: At the field
level, UNHCR does not appear to share our interpretation
that Article 1.D does not apply to persons who are
receiving protection or assistance from UNRWA. In an April
28 telcon, UNHCR Jordan Senior Protection Officer
Jacqueline Parleveliet argued that UNRWA does not/not
currently provide protection to Palestinian refugees in the
region. END NOTE.)
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