JORDAN DEMARCHED ON IRANIAN ARMS TO SYRIA AND HAMAS

S E C R E T AMMAN 000710 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2034 TAGS: PARM PREL ETTC MASS IR JO SUBJECT: JORDAN DEMARCHED ON IRANIAN ARMS TO SYRIA AND HAMAS REF: STATE 24954 Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b),(c), and (d) ¶1. (S) DATT delivered on March 17 the demarche on Iran's intent to transfer weapons to Hamas to Jordan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Khaled Sarayreh, leaving behind a non-paper. Army Attache delivered the same points and a non-paper on March 18 to the JAF,s Chief of Intelligence Talal Al-Kufahy, who said Sarayreh had passed this message to the Royal Jordanian Air Foce with a note to be on the look-out for any such event. Sarayreh had also forwarded the points to his chief of staff for follow-up. Kufahy asked questions about the type of weapons and the expected date of delivery. He noted that Jordan had not received any overflight requests and did not believe the aircraft would attempt to fly through Jordanian airspace. Any action on the JAF,s part, in the event that that happened, would be directed by the King, according to Kufahy. ¶2. (S) Army Attache also passed the points to the Director of Military Intelligence Khalaf Shra'a, who noted that in the past Jordan responded to a similar demarche about a suspected weapons shipment to Hizballah by stopping an overflight. Separately, Regional Affairs passed the points to senior officials in Jordan's General Intelligence Department on March 17. ¶3. (S) Subsequently on March 18, Ambassador delivered the points to Chief of the Royal Court Nasser Al-Lozi, who listened carefully, said he understood the problem, and indicated without providing specifics that Jordan would try to be supportive. Ambassador said that the U.S. might have to come back to Jordan for further assistance if this problem came up again. Visit Amman's Classified Website at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman Beecroft