GOJ BRIEFED ON 2007 TIP REPORT; PLANS CONTINUED

UNCLAS AMMAN 002537 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KWMN ELAB PREL PGOV SMIG KPAO KCRM JO SUBJECT: GOJ BRIEFED ON 2007 TIP REPORT; PLANS CONTINUED REFORM REF: SECSTATE 79567 ¶1. (SBU) Acting PolCouns briefed Thamer Adwan, Director of the Foreign Minister's private office, and separately Dr. Waleed Al-Saadi, Senior Advisor to the Foreign Minister on Human Rights, on the Jordan portion of Trafficking in Persons report on June 12. They agreed to review the report and provide comments as they did for the 2006 report. ¶2. (SBU) EconCouns and poloff also briefed Secretary General of the Ministry of Labor Majed Habashneh on June 13. Habashneh welcomed reports such as TIP, saying they "opened his eyes" to some of the problems workers faced, and inspired him to improve working conditions for foreign laborers and protect Jordan's reputation. He outlined MOL plans for 2007 to improve the situation of foreign workers: implementing changes to the labor law upon passage by the parliament; requiring Jordanian firms recruiting foreign laborers to provide cultural orientation, and encouraging Jordanian labor unions - which foreign workers cannot legally join - to establish offices in all governorates to represent their interests. He also described Ministry efforts to partner with UNIFEM to build a shelter for foreign female domestic workers. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ Hale