JORDAN AND BRITAIN WORK AROUND THE LACK OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 000580 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2019 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL PTER JO SUBJECT: JORDAN AND BRITAIN WORK AROUND THE LACK OF EXTRADITION TREATY TO ALLOW FOR DEPORTATION OF ABU QATADA REF: A. AMMAN 450 ¶B. 08 AMMAN 1128 ¶C. 07 AMMAN 3598 ¶D. 07 AMMAN 3351 ¶E. 07 AMMAN 720 Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) The British House of Lords February 18 ruling that Omer Mahmoud Mohammad Othamn, "Abu Qatada," could be deported to Jordan sparked preparations for his possible arrival. As Jordan does not have an extradition treaty with the United Kingdom, Abu Qatada's deportation would be governed by a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Jordan and Britain in August 2005. ¶2. (C) The MOU stipulates that the Adaleh Center for Human Rights, as a neutral, independent body, must monitor the treatment of prisoners to guarantee that no torture is being used. Deputy Chief of Mission of the British Embassy in Amman told PolCon on February 24 that the GOJ originally proposed the quasi-governmental National Center for Human Rights to monitor the agreement but that the Adaleh Center was eventually selected because it is considered an independent non-governmental organization. ¶3. (U) Adaleh has formed a 30-member team of lawyers, psychiatrists, and other experts to monitor the agreement. The Adaleh Center, while small, works on a wide range of human rights issues and is one of the leading civil society organizations in Jordan. Adaleh, for instance, played a leading role in the formation of a civil society coalition to advocate for changes to the recently amended Law on Associations (ref A). Adaleh also gathered non-governmental organizations to prepare a joint submission for Jordan's Universal Periodic Review by the UN Human Rights Commission. ¶4. (C) Adaleh director Assem Rababeh told Poloff on February 23 that he and his team just returned from London to work on arrangements for the potential hand-over of Abu Qatada. Abu Qatada reportedly refused to meet with the team, who instead met with his lawyer. Rababeh told Poloff that two other Jordanians may also be deported although he did not want to give names or details. Rababeh further stated that no prisoners are currently being monitored under the MOU. Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Ayman Odeh gave a statement to Petra news agency on February 19 that Abu Qatada will receive a fair trial in Jordan. Abu Qatada has already been convicted in absentia here twice for plotting terrorist attacks. (Note: Press reports indicate that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) asked Britain to hold off on the deportation until the court rules on his case. ECHR's ruling reportedly could take several years. End Note) ¶5. (C) Comment: The MOU presents an interesting work-around the fact that Jordan does not have a workable extradition treaty with any country. Rababeh told Poloff on March 2 that the MOU allows for deportations in both directions, although we are not aware of Jordanians awaiting deportations to the UK. If implemented properly, the MOU could also mitigate fears over possible torture, which have been raised by international and local press and human rights organizations. Post will closely monitor whether Abu Qatada or another prisoner is deported under the MOU. Implementation will depend greatly on Adaleh's ability to manage their current strong relationship with the GOJ, including with security agencies. Post is obtaining a copy of the MOU. End Comment Visit Amman's Classified Website at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman Beecroft