VZCZCXRO7232
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAM #3545/01 2341455
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221455Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0086
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003545 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR PRM AND NEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREF PHUM SOCI EAID IZ JO
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON IRAQIS IN JORDAN - AUGUST 22 
 
REF: AMMAN 3369 AND PREVIOUS 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Foreign Minster Khatib confirmed that the 
Governments of Iraq and Jordan agreed in principle to 
implement a process for issuing visas to Iraqis seeking to 
enter Jordan.  Jordanian schools began on August 19, though 
with far fewer Iraqis then expected.  USAID, UNICEF, UNHCR 
and NGOs are collaborating with the Ministry of Education and 
consulting focus groups of Iraqis to ascertain why.  They 
will use their results to develop continued information 
campaigns that will encourage Iraqi schoolchildren to enroll 
before registration closes on September 15. END SUMMARY 
 
Visas to Jordan 
--------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Foreign Minister Khatib confirmed to the Ambassador 
on August 20 that the Governments of Jordan and Iraq agreed 
to an arrangement during Iraqi National Security Advisor 
Muwaffaq al-Rubaie's visit to Amman whereby the GOI will 
submit visa applications for processing in Amman, allowing 
Iraqi travelers to know with certainty before departing Iraq 
that they can enter Jordan.  FM Khatib indicated that details 
of the process remain to be worked out. 
 
¶3.  (U) On August 15, Al Arab Al Yawm reported that the 
Jordanian Foreign Minister directed the formation of a 
technical team to explore the feasibility of issuing entry 
visas in Baghdad.  News reports also stated that the Iraqi 
Foreign Ministry would initially receive visa requests and 
would coordinate with Jordanian security authorities to 
determine entry in Jordan. 
 
Schools open, but with fewer Iraqis enrolled than expected 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) A variety of sources - the Ministry of Education 
(MoE), UNICEF, UNHCR, and NGOs who work with Iraqis in Jordan 
- have confirmed that the number of Iraqis currently 
attending Jordanian public schools is significantly below the 
50,000 anticipated by the GOJ.  MoE Director of Schools 
reported to Emboff that the Ministry does not yet have 
specific enrollment figures for Iraqis, but expects to 
receive lists from school principals within two weeks.  In a 
published interview on August 19, Minister of Education 
Touqan said that 40,000 Iraqis would enroll during the coming 
academic year, notably the first time a ministry official 
used a figure below 50,000.  An August 15 interview with 
Iraqi Embassy officials in Amman claimed that the Iraqi 
Embassy's cultural office had notarized 6,000 educational 
records for Iraqis in Jordan. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Emboffs, UNICEF officials, and Save the Children met 
with focus groups of Iraqis the week of August 19 to 
understand displaced Iraqi educational concerns and to inform 
the continued public information campaign being managed by 
UNICEF, NGOs and the Ministry of Education.  Several themes 
emerged: 
 
--Despite assurances from the MoE that all schools, even 
those that are full, would record the names of children 
wishing to register, it is not happening in practice.  Iraqis 
are being told by some local school officials that no space 
is available. 
--Some Iraqi families lack funds to pay school fees (20 
JD/semester for primary school; 30JD/semester for secondary 
school) or textbooks (35 JD).  Iraqi families remain largely 
unaware of the UN offer to pay fees on their behalf. 
--Some Iraqi children have been out of formal schooling for a 
year or more and believe they are no longer eligible for 
school, are no longer interested in school, or are working 
(often illegally) to support their families. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Save the Children and Mercy Corps are collecting 
names of schools that are not registering children and will 
pass these lists to the MoE through the Ministry of Planning. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Emboff met with the MoE steering committee on 
August 16, where the Ministry of Education and the Ministry 
of Planning accepted a list of 30 schools identified by 
USAID, UN and NGO partners in East Amman as suitable for 
double-shifting.  NOTE: although Iraqis may attend any school 
with available space, many Jordanian schools are already 
overcrowded and Iraqis living in Amman are concentrated in 
neighborhoods with overcrowded schools. To provide sufficient 
space, the GoJ agreed to double-shift schools in key areas 
(reftel).  END NOTE.  The MoE agreed to send a letter to all 
school directorates and the principals of the schools 
selected for double-shifting on August 20 to clarify 
registration rules and processes: 
 
AMMAN 00003545  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
--Iraqi children should bring educational documents within 
six weeks of the start of school.  Those lacking 
documentation will be tested and sorted into classes 
commensurate with their educational level. 
--Schools should register all Iraqi children, regardless of 
space, and the MoE will determine the actual distribution 
within the coming weeks. 
--Schools should register Iraqi children regardless of their 
ability to pay registration and textbook fees.  Following 
registration, the MoE will transmit a list of Iraqis to UNHCR 
and UNICEF, which will reimburse the GOJ for their 
educational costs. 
 
Registration 
------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) UNHCR reported to poloff that as of August 16 it 
had registered 43,168 individuals in Jordan - referring 3,114 
to the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for 
resettlement consideration. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ 
Hale