JORDAN--A/SCHWARTZ MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002670 SIPDIS DEPT FOR PRM/ANE E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2019 TAGS: EAID PREF PREL JO SUBJECT: JORDAN--A/SCHWARTZ MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER ON IRAQIS IN JORDAN Classified By: Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reason s 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. PRM Assistant Secretary Eric Schwartz met with Jordan's Prime Minister, Nader Al-Dahabi, on November 17, 2009. They discussed several issues involving Iraqi refugees, primarily the importance of allowing Iraqis to return home for "look-see" visits while preserving their right to return to Jordan should the situation dictate, and extending legal immigration status of some kind to Iraqis in Jordan. The GOJ raised the possibility of receiving USG assistance to fund employment opportunities for certain refugees to prevent acrimony should Iraqis be allowed to enter the local labor force. At the conclusion of the meeting, A/S Schwartz expressed U.S. concern over recent deaths of two Jordanians in police custody that sparked confrontations between Jordanian security forces and angry citizens. A/S Schwartz was accompanied by Ambassador Beecroft, PRM Special Assistant Elizabeth Drew, and Amman PRM Consular Coordinator Rusty Ingraham. Also present were Assistant to the PM Khalid Al-Qadi and Minister of Planning Suheir Al-Ali. END SUMMARY Visa Requirements Hamper Repatriation Efforts -------------- ¶2. (C) After discussing the importance of upcoming elections in Iraq and Jordan's early and continuing support for the new Iraq, the PM said that waves of Iraqis came to Jordan after ¶2003. Faced with a deteriorating security environment, Iraq asked GOJ to impose a visa requirement and Jordan complied. Despite the drain on scarce resources, Jordan contends that its help for Iraqi refugees is generous and the PM praised U.S. assistance to facilitate that work. A/S Schwartz thanked the PM, but asked Jordan to do more. He acknowledged the unpublished decision to permit Iraqi refugees in Jordan to visit Iraq and return without paying overstay fines and exit fees, but he also encouraged the PM to publicize the new policy through NGOs and IOs, such as UNHCR. The PM specified that while fees have been waived, Iraqis who leave Jordan need a visa to reenter Jordan. ¶4. (C) A/S Schwartz responded that look-see visits were an important tool to encourage the return and repatriation of Iraqis, but that the visitors needed assurances that their return to Jordan would not be hindered nor face uncertainty about whether they would be permitted to return. Without such assurances, A/S Schwartz explained, the decision to visit Iraq would no longer be a look-see but a potentially irreversible decision that few would risk. The A/S cited U.S. policy at the time of the British return of Hong Kong to China which permitted LPRs from Hong Kong up to ten years (instead of the standard one year) to enter the U.S. to maintain U.S. residency status. The details were different - reversed in fact - but the principle was the same: it is more likely that the individual will test the waters if he or she knows there is a life raft nearby. In the case of Jordan, that would mean: an unrestricted and publicly stated right to return back to Jordan, allowing them to visit home to determine whether they want ultimate repatriation. ¶5. (C) The PM accepted the validity of A/S Schwartz' point but mentioned security concerns, saying that a relatively small number of Iraqis were in contact with individuals posing security risks to Jordan while they were in Iraq. A/S Schwartz accepted this minor and appropriate exception, but continued to push a program of otherwise unfettered visits and an unproblematic visa regime. The PM thought that a card or similar device could be given to Iraqis as they depart Jordan to facilitate their return. The PM further suggested the Government of Iraq might sponsor look-see return visits to facilitate repatriation; A/S Schwartz said that refugees might perceive such sponsorship as impinging upon their privacy and freedom of action and added that the GOI had limited capacity at the moment to help in this way. Immigration Status and Vocational Training, but at a Price -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) A/S Schwartz also said that the USG saw Iraqi refugee attainment of a recognized form of status as an important US priority. Schwartz suggested that Jordan might apply a form of temporary residence modeled on U.S. treatment of nationals of countries undergoing significant upheaval or violent unrest. The PM cited Jordan's 14 percent unemployment rate and stated such a proposal would be politically difficult. Pointing to the USG's strong and continuing financial support for Jordan and the ongoing resettlement of over 10,000 refugees to date to the U.S., A/S Schwartz suggested beginning with the nearly 50,000 Iraqis currently registered AMMAN 00002670 002 OF 002 with UNHCR as a starting point to grant status. MOPIC Minister Al-Ali said Jordan could attempt to legalize the status of Iraqi guests and asked if the United States could fund employment opportunities for those registered with UNHCR that would not impact the Jordanian labor market. A/S Schwartz said channeling targeted support could be done through international organizations and NGOs. He added that he would give careful consideration to such assistance if the U.S. and Jordan agreed on a system of status. The PM argued for a good portion of the money to flow to GOJ rather than through NGOs and asked how soon the money for an agreed program could be released. The Assistant Secretary responded he could review budgetary considerations as soon as agreement in principle is reached. PM Comments on Recent Outbreaks of Violence -------------- ¶8. (C) Finally, A/S Schwartz raised U.S. concern over accountability for two recent deaths of Jordanian citizens at the hands of police. The PM noted the events were isolated and that Jordan was moving toward greater openness in civil society and for freedom of expression. Police in some locations are proving slow to adapt. Unaccustomed to being shouted at by a crowd, for instance, a small number of police were overreacting. Jordan was working to train police to maintain order without causing bodily harm. The policemen involved in the two deaths had been arrested and would be tried in Jordanian courts. ¶9. (C) A/S Schwartz has cleared this message. Beecroft