VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #9042 1542009
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021959Z JUN 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 0000
INFO RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC 0000
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHINGTON DC 0000
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC 0000
RUEPINS/HQ BICE INTEL WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS STATE 059042 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
AMMAN FOR DEBORAH WINTERS 
ECON 
AMMAN FOR ALICA LEJLIC 
POL-MIL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC KOMC OTRA PARM PREL JO
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN: DISCUSSIONS WITH EMBASSY AND 
JORDANIAN OFFICIALS FEBRUARY 28 
 
REF: 07 AMMAN 4525 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Compliance Specialist Judd Stitziel from 
the Department's Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance 
(PM/DTCC) met February 27-28 with country team and Jordanian 
officials to discuss implementation of the Blue Lantern 
end-use monitoring program and other defense trade issues in 
Jordan.  The visit included very productive meetings with 
senior Jordanian Armed Forces officers responsible for 
strategic planning and procurement and with the chairman of 
the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau.  PM/DTCC 
has conveyed to ISN/ECC the keen interest the Jordanians 
expressed in receiving US assistance in developing all 
aspects of Jordan,s nascent export control laws.  The visit 
helped to inform and improve communication about Blue Lantern 
and gray arms trafficking while solidifying host government 
understanding of and support for the program.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) Administered by PM/DDTC's Office of Defense Trade 
Controls Compliance (PM/DTCC), Blue Lantern is a global 
program designed to verify the end-use, end-users, and 
disposition of commercially exported defense articles, 
technology, and services.  This visit to Jordan was part of 
PM/DTCC's ongoing efforts to improve the effectiveness of 
Blue Lantern through outreach visits with posts and host 
governments. 
 
JORDANIAN ARMED FORCES ON BOARD WITH BLUE LANTERN 
 
¶3. (SBU) Stitziel and Embassy officials met with the Director 
of Strategic Planning, Brigadier General Mohammad Farghal, 
and the head of the Procurement Department at the Jordanian 
Armed Force's General Headquarters to discuss the Blue 
Lantern program on February 28.  Accompanying Stitziel from 
the Embassy were Economic Officer Deborah Winters, 
Political-Military Officer Alica Lejlic, and Security 
Assistance Officer Major Perry Orr.  While BG Farghal and his 
colleague were familiar with Blue Lantern and had responded 
to inquiries in the past, they were unaware of the program's 
global scope and were grateful for the formal briefing. 
Discussion focused on how to make end-use checks as accurate, 
smooth, and efficient as possible. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Upon request, BG Farghal described the JAF's 
procurement policies and procedures.  JAF general policy is 
to avoid middlemen and buy US-origin defense articles and 
services directly from U.S. suppliers whenever possible. 
Procurement is now either via the Foreign Military Sales 
(FMS) program or direct commercial contract based on sole 
source suppliers.  BG Farghal's Strategic Planning office is 
responsible for "big picture" planning and policy decisions, 
while the JAF's Procurement Department executes the actual 
purchases and is the sole entity within the JAF that issues 
end-use certificates.  The only other Jordanian military 
entity authorized to issue end-use certificates is the 
Military Office of His Majesty the King (MOHM).  (COMMENT: 
The conversation revealed indications of possible conflicts, 
poor communication, competition, and tension between the JAF 
and MOHM concerning military procurement and possibly other 
areas.  As established through past Blue Lantern checks, the 
Director of Armory, Procurement and Special Projects at MOHM 
is Major Ghazi Daghistani, who is a first cousin of the King 
and appears to have authority to make significant military 
procurements and to operate independently of the JAF.  END 
COMMENT.)  BG Farghal took the opportunity to express 
dissatisfaction with the amount of time required by the USG 
for third-party transfer requests and the export of night 
vision devices (NVDs).  The very cordial meeting closed with 
both sides agreeing on the value of continuing to strengthen 
bilateral cooperation and communication through the Blue 
Lantern program. 
 
KING ABDULLAH II DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT BUREAU 
 
¶5. (SBU) Stitziel and Embassy officials met with top 
officials of the King Abdullah II Design and Development 
Bureau (KADDB), a state-owned military-civilian agency within 
the JAF that designs and manufactures military and commercial 
equipment and provides services for the JAF as well as the 
civilian and military export markets.  KADDB officials 
included Dr. Moayad Samman, Chairman of the Board of 
Directors, and Ibrahim M. Mhailan, Contracts Advisor.  USG 
participants included Col. Robert Faille, Defense Attache; 
Lt. Col. David Womack, MILGRP; Orr; Lejlic; and Winters. 
After the Blue Lantern briefing, Dr. Samman gave an overview 
of KADDB's structure, activities, procurement policies and 
procedures, and future plans.  Only KADDB's contracts office 
is authorized to generate end-use certificates, which can be 
signed only by KADDB's director.  Samman emphasized that 
Jordan does not permit the transshipment of defense articles 
through Jordanian territory.  In addition to its own R&D and 
manufacturing activities, KADDB currently is invested to 
various extents in 23 Jordanian companies.  Finally, Samman 
inquired about the possibility of Jordan and KADDB receiving 
US assistance in all aspects of export controls, particularly 
those related to Jordan's current efforts to draft export 
control laws.  Stitziel briefly described the Department's 
Export Control and Related Border Security Assistance program 
(EXBS) and offered to connect Samman with the appropriate 
officials in the Department's Office of Export Control 
Cooperation (ISN/ECC).  Samman expressed gratitude and 
enthusiasm about the possible assistance available through 
EXBS.  Upon returning to Washington, Stitziel informed the 
director of ISN/ECC of the GOJ's and KADDB's interest. 
 
BLUE LANTERN FOLLOW-UP:  LE ROYAL HOTEL 
 
¶6. (U) Stitziel and Winters met with Suliman Aqarbeh, 
Security Director of Le Royal Hotel as follow-up to a 
pre-license Blue Lantern check conducted on application 
050070921 for the export of explosives detection equipment in 
November 2007 (reftel).  The check had verified the bona 
fides of the hotel as an end-user of United States Munitions 
List (USML) items and confirmed the legitimacy of the 
end-use, which was to scan vehicles to be parked in the 
hotel's underground garage.  Stitziel briefed Aqarbeh on Blue 
Lantern and asked him for feedback on his experience as the 
subject of an end-use check.  Most interesting were Aqarbeh's 
remarks that such checks send end-users a strong message 
about the quality and sensitivity of the commodities and the 
seriousness with which the U.S. treats the export of such 
items.  Aqarbeh commented that the Blue Lantern check not 
only reinforced his belief that he had made the right 
decision to buy the US-origin explosive detection equipment; 
together with the equipment's performance, the check had led 
him to recommend the technology to colleagues at other hotels 
and the Jordanian police.  The meeting with Aqarbeh thus 
provided additional evidence that the Blue Lantern program 
helps to promote due diligence and compliance with US export 
controls by industry and end-users, and can even enhance 
perceptions of the quality and value of USML items. 
 
INTERNAL BLUE LANTERN BRIEFINGS WITH EMBASSY PERSONNEL 
 
¶7. (SBU) Stitziel briefed the Blue Lantern program to members 
of the country team, including Fareedon Hartoqa, Commercial 
Specialist, US Commercial Service; a member of the Military 
Group; the Assistant Legal Attache; Natalie Brown, Economic 
Counselor; Winters; and Lejlic.  The Economic and 
Political-Military Sections split responsibility for 
coordinating Blue Lantern checks in Jordan.  The number of 
checks in Jordan has increased in recent years, and the 
program is anticipated to continue to grow as bilateral 
defense trade and the volume of direct commercial sales (DCS) 
increase.  Participants discussed strategies for addressing 
specific past challenges of the program in Jordan, including 
finding the right GOJ point-of-contact and sometimes lengthy 
delays in responding to Blue Lantern requests. 
 
¶8. (U) PM/DDTC would like to express its gratitude to Embassy 
Amman, and especially Economic Officer Deborah Winters and 
Political-Military Officer Alica Lejlic for their exemplary 
work in helping to arrange and execute this visit. 
RICE