SCENESETTER FOR THE VISIT AMBASSADOR JEFFREY AND

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007777 SIPDIS NOFORN FOR NEA IRAQ DESK OFFICER MAGGIE HABIB E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV JO IZ SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR THE VISIT AMBASSADOR JEFFREY AND INTERAGENCY DELEGATION REF: A. AMMAN 5803 ¶B. AMMAN 7273 ¶C. STATE 170754 ¶D. AMMAN 7601 Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S) King Abdullah views the success of the Coalition effort in Iraq as essential to Jordanian national security interests. The GOJ provides important political and logistical support for U.S. activities in Jordan that contribute to the Iraq effort, most notably training for police, for military officers and specialists, and for Iraqi government regulators. Despite solid GOJ support for U.S. efforts in Iraq, our policies there are highly unpopular with the Jordanian public as they are in much of the Arab and broader Islamic world. The Jordanian Government pays an internal political price for its alignment with us on Iraq. ============================ PM BADRAN,S VISIT TO BAGHDAD ============================ ¶2. (C) You will be meeting with the GOJ leadership shortly after its significant political opening to the ITG as demonstrated by the visit of Prime Minister Adnan Badran on September 10 to Baghdad, the first visit of a senior Arab state official to Iraq since the fall of Saddam. Badran, who was accompanied by four other cabinet members during his visit that included meetings with Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi and PM Ibrahim Jaafari, told the latter that he expected to see further ministerial-level meetings soon within the framework of the Jordan-Iraq Joint Higher Committee. ¶3. (C) In addition to serving as a secure platform for the USG for Iraq-related efforts, Jordan is also important to the private sector,s role in Iraq reconstruction and shipping; Iraq-related economic activity has contributed to much of Jordan,s 7 percent GDP growth over the past year. Border security is an important GOJ concern, and considerable USG assistance is directed at helping the GOJ improve control over its frontiers. ¶4. (S/NF) In our country team,s assessment, the Jordanian security services are doing their best to intercept young men, whether Jordanian or foreign, of military age headed to Iraq. ¶5. (U) Background on other topics that may come up during your conversations with the GOJ follows: ============================ JORDANIAN AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ ============================ ¶6. (C) In July, Jordan named retired General Ahmad Salameh al-Lozi as Ambassador to Iraq, a welcome step we had long sought, though he has not yet presented his credentials or moved to Baghdad. The GOJ is seeking more secure arrangements in Baghdad for their Embassy and its staff before al-Lozi takes up his duties there. ==== DEBT ==== ¶7. (C) The GOJ argues that the $1.3 billion Iraq owes under the old Iraq-Jordan Trade Protocol is not sovereign debt; the USG rejects this position (ref C) and we have urged Jordan to grant Iraq terms at least as generous as those granted by the Paris Club. The GOJ is unlikely to agree, simply because it is already under considerable fiscal stress due in part to the ballooning cost of its fuel subsidy program. With the revival of the Jordan-Iraq Joint Higher Committee following the Badran visit, we expect the two sides will resume discussion of a solution bilaterally, which had been reached under the Allawi interim government. ======================================= MILITARY TRAINING FOR IRAQIS IN JORDAN ======================================= ¶8. (S) On September 25, Chairman of the Jordanian Armed Forces, General Sarairah, laid out for Ambassador Khalilzad additional opportunities for Iraqi military training in Jordan, stressing that training here not only affords Iraqi forces the opportunity to improve weapons and tactical skills, but carries the potential to improve understanding of democratic values and the appropriate role of the military within a democratic society. Specifically, Sarairah offered continued use of the existing New Iraqi Army training camp in Jordan, intelligence training, additional training for units of Iraqi border security and customs agents, and the option to embed an Iraqi unit in a similar parent organization of the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF). Sarairah also offered additional equipment transfers from Jordan to Iraq, available within the JAF as a result of the recently completed JAF Strategic Defense Review. Ambassador Khalilzad thanked Sarairah for his offer, and promised to pass it to the Iraqi government. ================== Saddam,s Daughters ================== ¶9. (S/NF) There are periodically media and other reports that Saddam,s two daughters living in Jordan, as well as alleged former regime officials in exile here, are actively aiding insurgent forces in Iraq through financial contributions and/or operational planning. However, the Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate (GID) keeps Saddam,s relatives here under close watch, and shares details on this coverage through intel channels. The GOJ remains ready to expel or consider other requests for action against Iraqis accused of wrongdoing here. HALE