JORDAN DEMARCHED ON AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 000675 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2019 TAGS: NATO PREL MOPS MARR AF JO SUBJECT: JORDAN DEMARCHED ON AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN REF: A. STATE 14097 ¶B. STATE 15623 Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d). ¶1. (C) Ambassador delivered points seeking input for the Afghanistan/Pakistan policy review contained in reftel A on February 28 separately to Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and to Chief of the Royal Court Nasser Al-Lozi. Neither Judeh nor Lozi provided an immediate substantive response. We have sought to identify a working level contact at the Foreign Ministry who can follow up on these issues but so far have not been successful. ¶2. (C) That said, Ambassador, DATT and PolMilOff have held numerous discussions with the Royal Court and the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) regarding Jordanian contributions to the security and stability of Afghanistan. Jordan's planned contributions to Afghanistan follow in paragraph 2. Please note that Jordan makes every effort to keep these contributions from becoming public due to domestic political sensitivities. ¶3. (C) A Jordanian Special Operations Force (SOF) is scheduled to deploy Task Force 111 (111 personnel) to Afghanistan in May 2009 to conduct combat operations with U.S. 5th Special Forces Group. Jordan also plans to send Task Force 222, a battalion of 824 infantry personnel, in response to reftel demarche (Ref B),to conduct security for Afghanistan's upcoming elections. Coordination and training are ongoing for an estimated May deployment. The JAF declared that they would participate in this effort under Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) rather than the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commanded by NATO. JAF is also coordinating with Post to send Military Police and Combat Engineers to Afghanistan in response to General Petraeus, separate December 2008 request for additional forces. (Note: JAF will continue to operate a military field hospital in Qalat, Afghanistan, which since 2003 has seen over 750,000 patients. End note.) ¶4. (C) Comment: We will follow up with Jordanian interlocutors for their input on the policy matters and forward it as it becomes available. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman Beecroft