JORDANIAN FM STRESSES GOJ GENEROSITY TO IRAQIS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001990

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR PRM AND NEA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2018
TAGS: PREF PGOV JO IZ
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN FM STRESSES GOJ GENEROSITY TO IRAQIS,
GOI AND DONORS MUST DO THEIR PART

Classified By: CDA Daniel Rubinstein for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee Issues
Ambassador James Foley briefed Jordanian Foreign Minister
Salah Al-Bashir June 21 on his meetings with UNHCR and others
in Jordan to assess the needs of Iraqi refugees. Ambassador
Foley and Ambassador Hale expressed the USG's appreciation
for the Jordanian government's generosity as it hosts
displaced Iraqis, and urged the GOJ to find a way to allow
Iraqis to work in order to support themselves. The FM said
that Jordan needed additional support from the international
community, citing burdens that Iraqis are placing on key
infrastructure and social services. End Summary.


2. (C) Ambassador Foley opened his meeting with Jordanian FM
Bashir by thanking the GOJ for the "remarkable hospitality"
the country continues to show Iraqi refugees and its decision
to offer Iraqis access to Jordanian schools and the public
health care system. Foley suggested, however, that to better
help the GOJ as it bears the cost of hosting large numbers of
Iraqis, the international community needed a better
understanding of Iraqi needs, including more information
about the number of Iraqis in Jordan. Ambassador Hale
pointed out that reliable surveys, whether conducted by the
GOJ or international organizations, were important tools to
gather this kind of data. Furthermore, UNHCR needs to be
allowed to expand its access to Iraqi refugees. Approving
UNHCR's request to do registration in additional locations
across Jordan and through mobile units would enable it to
reach more of the Iraqi population in Jordan. Foley noted
that the information collected through surveys and expanded
registration would also be critically important in preparing
for when Iraqis return home. Security remains the number one
factor when considering returns, and Foley noted that
conditions were not yet conducive for large-scale returns.
Now was the time, however, for the Iraqi government to begin
preparations in order to be ready for returns in the future.
When Iraqis are ready to return, the Iraqi government must
have homes and social services ready to support them.


3. (C) FM Bashir explained that Jordan made an early
decision to welcome Iraqis, and the GOJ will continue to do
so until the Iraqis choose to go home. Iraqis access the
same public service infrastructure in the health and
education sectors, and the GOJ serves Iraqis as it serves its
own citizens. In Bashir's view, since Iraqis receive the
same public services, the protection offered to Iraqis is
equal to that offered Jordanians. Support for GOJ public
services provides assistance to Iraqis in a sustainable and
integrated fashion. The FM reiterated that Jordan does not
want parallel systems for Iraqi refugees. Bashir expressed
gratitude to Congress, acknowledging that he was aware that
the supplemental budget contained funds for Jordan in
recognition of its generosity in hosting Iraqis.


4. (C) The FM said that he believed the number of Iraqis in
Jordan was about 550,000, and that GID believes that there
are about 600,000 Iraqis. At these levels, Iraqis make up
some 10 to 11 percent of the Jordanian population and have
the potential to cause "social issues," particularly as they
put additional burden on social services and infrastructure
in Amman where a majority of Iraqis live. According to the
FM, the GOJ needs additional analysis of the demands placed
on infrastructure and services to better combat fatigue
within the system. These burdens are further exacerbated by
the high inflation rate in Jordan. While the GOJ has been
generous to Iraqis, the FM said that he hears much about what
Jordan must additionally do for them. The FM's stance was
that the GOI and the international community must do more to
fulfill its responsibility to support Jordan and displaced
Iraqis. The GOI's $8M for Iraqi refugees in Jordan was
simply not enough.


5. (C) Foley pushed back, noting that while rising inflation
impacts all, displaced Iraqis do not have the right to work
legally and are forced to deplete their remaining savings.
Without the ability to work, displaced Iraqis cannot care for
their families. Ambassador Hale emphasized that humanitarian
assistance from the international community cannot meet all
of the needs of Iraqi refugees. Permission to work would
give Iraqis the ability to take care of themselves. Hale
acknowledged that with the high unemployment Jordan currently
faces, steps towards providing Iraqis the right to work in
Jordan must be taken carefully in order not to generate
strong negative public feeling. With adults in the work
place, Iraqi children would be able to return to school

AMMAN 00001990 002 OF 002


rather than being forced to earn money to support their
families. Additionally, Iraqis would feel more comfortable
in Jordan, reducing their fear that they could be forced to
leave at any time. The FM expressed some impatience with
Iraqi fears, saying that it was time for Iraqis to start
dealing with a government with some level of confidence. The
FM told Foley that while GID believed that Iraqi children
were not in school because they were working, he disagreed,
noting that Social Service officials have encountered few
Iraqi children in raids on business illegally employing
underage workers.


6. (C) Foley told the FM that the USG continues to push
Iraqi PM Maliki to do more to assist displaced Iraqis. The
constant message is that the GOI has a responsibility to
contribute substantially to assist the needs of its displaced
citizens in host countries. Foley described his recent
efforts to encourage other donor countries, including Gulf
countries, to provide greater support for displaced Iraqis.
The Gulf countries understand that the increasing
vulnerability of displaced Iraqis in neighboring countries
has regional implications, but criticized Iraqi PM Maliki and
the paucity of GOI contributions to date.


7. (C) At the end of the meeting, the FM asked Foley about
the U.S. policy on resettling Iraqi Christians. Foley noted
that the U.S. was not looking to establish any special
categories limited to a specific religion. The U.S.
resettlement program accepts Iraqis who fled persecution
because of their religious beliefs. There is a wide array of
religious backgrounds among the Iraqi refugees already
admitted to the U.S. and those in the resettlement pipeline.


8. (U) This message was cleared by Senior Coordinator
Ambassador Foley.

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