ARMS/SECURITY TEAMS ABOARD MERCHANT VESSELS DEMARCHE

UNCLAS AMMAN 001191 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EEB/TRA/OTP and NEA/ELA DHS FOR TSA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EWWT ASEC MARR PARM PREL PHSA KHLS JO SUBJECT: ARMS/SECURITY TEAMS ABOARD MERCHANT VESSELS DEMARCHE DELIVERED IN JORDAN REF: A) STATE 045331 B) Wilson-Haywood emails, May 2009 Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly. Not for internet distribution or use outside the USG. ¶1. (SBU) EconOff and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Attaches delivered ref A demarche to Al-Moutasem K. Alsaket, Director General of the Jordan Maritime Authority (JMA),and several members of his staff in Aqaba on May 18. This meeting also served as the introductory courtesy call by DHS Attaches. JMA officials noted that an anti-piracy agreement under the International Maritime Organization, was currently being circulated among the Red Sea countries for signing, but promised they would review the questions from the demarche and respond. DAO Naval and Marine Attache reported he also passed the demarche points to Royal Jordanian Navy officials o/a May 21. ¶2. (SBU) The same information was delivered to Mohammad Al-Qudah, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Transport, the ministry to which JMA reports, on May 19. Al-Qudah said he appreciated the information and would coordinate with JMA and the Royal Navy for a Jordanian response. Qudah also queried DHS Attache about obtaining advice and assistance for Marka airport, Amman's regional airfield. DHS Attache explained that a Transportation Security Team would be arriving in Jordan in the next few weeks to do a security review, but their primary focus was airports identified as Last Points of Departure (LPD) to the U.S., which in Jordan was only Queen Alia International Airport. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman BEECROFT