Jordan Announces Revised Rules for Iraqis Entering or

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000712

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/I, PRM, AND EEB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON PREF PREL PGOV JO IZ
SUBJECT: Jordan Announces Revised Rules for Iraqis Entering or
Residing in Jordan

REFS: A) Amman 472
B) Amman 460
C) Amman 582

Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly. Not for
internet distribution or use outside the USG.


1. (SBU) Summary: The Jordanian Ministry of Interior (MOI) has
issued new rules for Iraqis entering or residing in Jordan (ref B).
The new, simplified regulations target Iraqi business people and
investors with the goal of enhancing Jordan's economic relations
with Iraq. Iraqi interlocutors welcomed the policy changes but
stressed the need for implementation. It does not appear that this
will have any impact on the legal status or options for Iraqis who
presently live illegally in Jordan. End Summary.

New Regulations Aim to Facilitate Iraqi Business
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2. (U) Prime Minister Nadir Al-Dahabi approved new instructions for
Iraqis entering or residing in Jordan, issued by a ministerial
committee under the direction of the Ministry of Interior.
Initially leaked to the press, the new rules have not yet been
officially released outside the GoJ, but MOI contacts confirm that
press reports were largely accurate and the regulations went into
effect on February 22, 2009. Provisions reportedly include a
reduction in the bank guarantee for residency from USD 150,000 to
USD 50,000; special counters at ports of entry, which are designated
for Iraqi investors, official delegations, and diplomats; and
streamlined bureaucracy for obtaining visas, residency permits and
drivers' licenses. A more detailed list of the revised rules as
published on February 19, 2009 by Amman Petra-JNA Online News
Service in Arabic are posted on the classified intellipedia website

(Link:http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Revised_
Immigration_Regulations_for_Iraqis_in-Jordan) .

Iraqis Seek Implementation
--------------


3. (SBU) An official of the Iraqi Embassy in Amman commented to
Emboffs that the Iraqi Embassy had neither been given advanced
warning of the policy change, nor provided input into the
regulations. He believed Jordan had decided to ease requirements
because frustration over Jordanian entry and residency procedures
had sent Iraqis investors elsewhere, particularly to the Gulf and
Egypt, at a time when Jordan was beginning to feel the global
economic crisis (ref A).


4. (SBU) The Iraqi Embassy had not yet received a copy of the new
official regulations to his knowledge, although he had heard that
the new procedures were already being implemented at border
crossings. He emphasized the importance of implementation, given
that in the past "windows" designated for Iraqis often went
unstaffed or Jordanian officials mistreated Iraqis. Noting that the
GOJ's initiative was clearly targeted at businessmen, he stated that
the Iraqi Embassy had no plans to press the Jordanians to loosen
regulations for the broader refugee population.


5. (SBU) Several Iraqi businessmen residing in Jordan commented to
Econ Specialist that the new immigration regulations for Iraqis were
not as tolerant as they had hoped. They, too, believed the current
economic slowdown, especially in the Jordanian property market, was
behind the new policy. These businessmen commented that the most
significant improvement was the reduction of the required bank
deposit for residency to USD 50,000, which would help increase
operating capital. In spite of these positive steps, many Iraqis
still feel the Jordanian rules remain too stringent, and that
requirements for Iraqis to have Jordanian visas at all remained a
major obstacle to doing business in Jordan. The head of the Iraqi
Business Council in Amman, Al-Zuhairi, also asserted that the GOJ
was going overboard in emphasizing security over prosperity in
dealing with Iraqis.

UNHCR Sees New Regs as Positive Step Forward
--------------


6. (SBU) A representative of UNHCR in Amman viewed the new
regulations as a positive step contributing to a more favorable
environment for Iraqis in general, even if the provisions targeted
only business people. To date, however, UNHCR had noted no
practical impact from these new rules but continued to monitor the
situation closely. UNHCR also recently noted a decrease in the
number of Iraqis detained by the Jordanian government, thanks to new
directives regarding detention (Ref C).


7. (SBU) Comment: Iraq has traditionally been a strategic trading
partner for Jordan, but trade faltered in 2003 due to the war in

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Iraq. Over the past two years, bilateral trade has regained its
footing with Jordanian exports to Iraq almost doubling from $462
million in 2006 to $809 million in 2008. Jordan hopes to see the
trend continue and views the new regulations as one way to enhance
bilateral economic relations and investment. We have heard that
Jordanian companies lobbied for such changes to facilitate meetings
and business in Jordan with their Iraqi partners. Many Jordanian
firms still view security in Iraq as a main obstacle to bilateral
trade, which can increase shipping costs and at times presents
significant logistical challenges.

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