VZCZCXYZ0007
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #2974 3031239
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 291239Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3747
INFO RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0686

UNCLAS AMMAN 002974 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Department for NEA/ELA and PRM/ANE 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL: N/A 
TAGS: PREF EAID JO
SUBJECT: CARE-Jordan Hits Temporary Snag in PRM Project Proposal 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  At CareQs Request, RefCoord intervened with the 
 
GOJ to appeal the GOJ rejection of the USG-funded psychosocial 
project.  The GOJ agreed to review the decision after discussing the 
 
journalism component of the project with CARE-Jordan.  The GOJ 
continues to be leery of any project designed to publicize the 
conditions of Iraqi refugees in Jordan.  End summary. 
 
GOJ to CARE--A Refusal Without Explanation 
-------- ---------------------- ---------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On October 23, 2008, CARE International-Jordan Director 
Harriet Dodd called RefCoord and explained that the GOJ had rejected 
 
the PRM-Funded psychosocial program, "Dignity," which was part of a 
 
larger CARE project with multiple donor support.  All of the other 
aspects of the program passed the GOJ screening process.  Word of 
the refusal had reached CARE by back channels from the Ministry of 
Planning and International Cooperation (MOPIC).  The refusal 
followed written approval for the project from the Ministry for 
Social Affairs, the government office responsible for NGO activity 
in Jordan.  CAREQs attorney investigated and discovered that MOPIC 
had instructed Social Affairs to rescind its letter of approval, 
without providing a reason. 
 
GOJ To USG--We will Take Another Look 
--------- ------------------ --------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The afternoon of October 23, RefCoord met to discuss the 
refusal with the Secretary General of the Ministry, Nasser Shraideh, 
 
who served as the chair of the inter-ministerial committee that 
approved assistance projects for Iraqis, and Feda Gharaibeh, 
responsible officer for Iraqi reconstruction.  Initially, Shraideh 
said the CARE proposal duplicated other ongoing projects in the 
psychosocial sector.  RefCoord explained that the CARE proposal was 
 
designed to compliment projects already underway and to take 
advantage of the experience and expertise that CARE offered in 
Jordan.  Shraideh then changed his objection, saying that the CARE 
proposal included a component in which journalism trainees 
interviewed Iraqis and published their stories.  Feda Gharaibeh 
joined the SecGen in objecting to this aspect of the proposal, 
saying that journalism had no place in Iraqi assistance. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Shraideh agreed to review the committee decision and 
discuss the proposal with CARE.  He instructed Gharaibeh to meet 
with CARE and RefCoord later to discuss how the project might be 
resubmitted to the inter-ministerial committee.  In a subsequent 
meeting, Dodd told RefCoord that CARE had already removed the 
journalism component of the original project at the insistence of 
PRM.  The document CARE submitted to the GOJ did not represent the 
project in its most current form.  She said that she would resubmit 
 
the proposal and report the outcome to RefCoord. 
 
Comment--Concerns About Publicity 
----- --------------- ----------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Refusals of USG projects here are rare, and we do not 
believe the rejection of CARE's proposal was a swipe at the USG. 
The committee has held up any program that hints of a refugee 
census or raises the public profile of refugee programming.  In 
Jordan, NGO and IO projects were screened by an inter-ministerial 
committee chaired by MOPIC, and attended regularly by the ministries 
 
of social affairs, health, education, and interior.  We will monitor 
 
the situation closely to ensure that the GOJ gives proper and fair 
consideration to the PRM-funded project. End comment. 
 
Visit AmmanQs Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
 
BEECROFT