JIPTC RETURNED TO GOJ, WILL CONTINUE AS JIPTC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004019 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR NEA/ELA, INL/RM, INL/I E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2017 TAGS: PREL SNAR MASS KPAL JO IZ SUBJECT: JIPTC RETURNED TO GOJ, WILL CONTINUE AS JIPTC REF: STATE 117584 Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) The Ambassador and Jordan's Public Security Directorate Chief took part in a ceremony returning control of the Jordan International Police Training Center to the GOJ. The PSD Chief said that JIPTC would continue its mission as an international police training center, and that Jordan was interested in hosting future international police training at the base, including for Palestinians. The amendment to the LOA on JIPTC was signed per reftel and is dated September 24. JIPTC Returned to Jordan -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The Jordan International Police Training Center was symbolically returned to Jordan's Public Security Directorate (PSD) during a transfer ceremony held at the base on September 27. The Ambassador and PSD chief Lieutenant General Mohammad Majed Al-Eitan participated in the ceremony that saw the lowering of the American flag at JIPTC and a symbolic signing over to PSD of the last elements of JIPTC that will be transferred to the GOJ. The Ambassador presented the folded flag to Eitan. The last day of full-time American presence at the base is scheduled to be September 30. After that time, full control of the base reverts to the PSD. ¶3. (SBU) The Ambassador thanked the PSD for its support in helping JIPTC successfully complete its mission. Since November 2003, more than 56,000 Iraqi police officers, training officers, border guards and corrections officers trained at the base that featured, at one time or another during the mission life-span, 19 countries providing trainers and mission support for JIPTC. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Iraq, Jordan, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States all participated in the JIPTC mission at various times. JIPTC Lives On -------------- ¶4. (C) Just prior to the ceremony, General Eitan unexpectedly told the Ambassador that he and PSD had decided minutes before the turn-over ceremony that they would retain JIPTC as its own entity under the name and flag of JIPTC - to be run by PSD. It will not be subsumed by "PSD Training City" - the name for the rest of the base - and Jordanian police will not train in the part of JIPTC known as JITC - Jordan International Training Center. The surprise announcement of JIPTC's continuance momentarily disrupted the ceremony, when the previously-scheduled lowering of the JIPTC flag was halted by Eitan just before the flag was lowered. ¶5. (SBU) Eitan told the Ambassador and later the ceremony audience that PSD is interested in hosting police training for "neighboring or brotherly countries," and desires to make JIPTC available for such training opportunities in the future. Eitan thanked the U.S. for its support of JIPTC, and pledged future cooperation between the PSD and the USG. Eitan also indicated to the Ambassador that he would market the facility as a state-of-the-art international police training center among the diplomatic community in Jordan, internationally, and with the UN. Palestinians at JIPTC -------------- ¶6. (C) COMMENT: Eitan mentioned briefly to the Ambassador the possibility of training Palestinian security forces at JIPTC in the future. While JIPTC would be adequate for Palestinian training requirements, decisions regarding Palestinian training do not rest with the PSD, but with the General Intelligence Directorate and the Royal Court. LOA Amendment Signed -------------- ¶7. (U) Prior to the turn-over ceremony, Eitan and the Ambassador signed the latest amendment to the Jordan International Police Training Center Letter of Agreement requested in reftel. The signed documents are dated September 24, 2007, and cover final JIPTC operations that were to take place during September, 2007, the turn-over AMMAN 00004019 002 OF 002 period for returning full control of JIPTC to the PSD. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ Hale