VZCZCXRO5026
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAM #1493 1831134
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021134Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5428
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 6266
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS AMMAN 001493 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/I, PRM, AND EEB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ECON ETRD PGOV JO IZ
SUBJECT: Jordan Promises to Implement Regulations to Ease Entry and 
Residency Procedures for Iraqis 
 
REF: Amman 712 
 
Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly.  Not for 
internet distribution or use outside the USG. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) The Iraqi-Jordanian Technical Trade and Investment 
Committee announced on June 22 that the GOJ would apply "softer 
entry and residency procedures" for Iraqi businessmen and investors. 
 The announcement followed a February 2009 decision by the 
Government of Jordan (GOJ) to issue more lenient regulations for 
Iraqi businessmen and investors entering or residing in Jordan in 
order to enhance bilateral economic relations (reftel).  Ministry of 
Industry and Trade (MOIT) officials told EconOff that during the 
committee meeting the Iraqi delegation expressed appreciation for 
the revised regulations issued earlier in the year, but asked that 
the scope of the new regulations be expanded.  MOIT plans to provide 
recommendations for additional measures to the Ministry of Interior 
for consideration. 
 
¶2.   (SBU) A senior Jordanian General Intelligence Department (GID) 
official at the Jordan-Iraq border confided to EconOffs that his 
department had only recently begun applying the entry procedures 
announced in February when his department received orders to put 
them into effect.  The official reported the most significant point 
of this new directive was the establishment of more direct security 
and intelligence exchanges between the Jordanian and Iraqi 
governments on visa issues.  He thought the result would be that no 
Iraqi would be turned away from the Jordanian border unless a clear 
security risk was indicated.  He further noted that they were now 
seeing increased border traffic due to this "opening of the 
window." 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Iraqi businessmen, however, have told EconOffs they have 
not been impressed with implementation of the new regulations and 
did not anticipate this latest announcement to make any significant 
difference since they perceive Jordanian border officials as having 
vast authority to do whatever they wish.  Muhammad Al-Shammari, an 
Iraqi businessman residing in Amman, explained that he did not 
believe this announcement would entice more Iraqi businessmen to 
Jordan, as he knew several who had tried after GOJ made the initial 
announcement in February 2009, but had been denied entry for no 
apparent reason.  An official at the Iraqi Embassy in Amman 
concurred, commenting that for now the more lenient entry and 
residency procedures remained, "all talk," with little practical 
application in the field. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.gov.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ 
 
BEECROFT