GOVERNMENT EXPRESSES DISPLEASURE AT USG ESF

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002439 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA, PRM/ANE E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/20/2018 TAGS: PREF PREL IO JO SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT EXPRESSES DISPLEASURE AT USG ESF DECISION TO UNHCR-JORDAN Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4(b) and (d ) ¶1. (C) In an August 14 meeting with RefCoord, Imran Riza, Country Representative for UNHCR in Jordan, reported that, on the margins of a meeting at the Foreign Ministry, officials raised the issue of the Jordan ESF supplemental appropriation with him. According to Riza, the officials said the USG plan to fund Iraqi refugee services through international organizations in Jordan could represent a violation of Jordanian sovereignty. ¶2. (C) In a subsequent conversation on August 20, Riza explained that his GoJ contacts continued to voice displeasure at the USG desire to channel "Jordan's" funding through IOs. Riza told RefCoord that he was asked if there was anything UNHCR could do to affect the USG funding decision. Riza said that he explained that UNHCR had no role in the internal funding decisions of its donors. Riza said that he thought his interlocutor was satisfied that UNHCR could not influence USG decisions on how funding would be delivered to the Iraqi refugee caseload. ¶3. (C) Riza offered that he believed the GoJ was still searching for a way to reverse the USG ESF decision, but he thought they had no idea how best to proceed. He stressed that the Jordanians were displeased with the USG, but not with UNHCR. ¶4. (C) Comment: In the August 14 conversation, although Riza did not expressly say so, he gave the impression that he believed the Jordanians might pressure UNHCR to object to the U.S. funding plans. To RefCoord, Riza expressed no reservations of his own concerning USG plans to fund UNHCR operations through ESF. End comment. Visit Amman's Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman Beecroft