MOROCCO POLITICAL HIGHLIGHTS

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SUBJECT: MOROCCO POLITICAL HIGHLIGHTS

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2. (U) Table of Contents

- Morocco Calls Amnesty International Report on Sub-
Saharans "Biased"
- Driss Basri Speaks Out on Immigration Issue
- UGTM Leader Under Fire
- Interior Ministry Requests Mayors Cut Costs
- Most Moroccan Prisoners Serving Less Than Two Years
- IVLP Participant Highlights U.S. Values in Mosque Lecture
- Libyan Asylum-Seeker Finds Refuge in Tree

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Morocco Calls Amnesty International Report on Sub-Saharans
"Biased"
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3. (U) On October 28, GOM spokesperson and Minister of
Communications, Nabil Benabdallah reacted against Amnesty
International's just released report on Morocco's handling
of the sub-Saharan migrant problem as "biased." The Amnesty
International report accuses Morocco, Algeria, and Spain of
not confronting their immigration problems in an appropriate
manner. The report, written after a ten day fact-finding
mission to Morocco and Spain, says law enforcement officials
used force against the illegal immigrants which is both
"unlawful and disproportionate, including lethal weapons."
In a declaration to the Associated Press, Benabdallah asked
for palpable evidence of allegations against Morocco and
affirmed that immigrants are treated with respect and
concern, even "if errors were made." The GOM on October 24
admitted responsibility for the deaths of four illegal
immigrants who were shot by Moroccan security forces in
northern Morocco.

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Driss Basri Speaks Out on Immigration Issue
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4. (U) In a press interview with the Spanish daily La
Razon, former Moroccan MOI Driss Basri criticized the GOM's
handling of the immigration crisis. Referring to recent
Moroccan allegations that Algeria is the driving force
behind Morocco's immigration troubles, Basri, who currently
lives in France, commented, "What I don't understand is that
every time there is a problem in Morocco, Algeria is
automatically blamed." He added that the real issue is bad
management of the immigration issue in Morocco due to the
"obvious lack of experience of Moroccan officials,
especially that of Prime Minister Jettou."

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UGTM Leader Under Fire
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5. (U) According to the Moroccan daily Aujourd'hui, the
leader of the powerful General Union of Moroccan Workers
(UGTM),Abderrazak Afilal, is involved in a financial scheme
that has put the safety of his finances in jeopardy.
Afilal, longtime head of the UGTM, has reportedly been
prohibited from leaving Morocco and his financial assets
have been frozen by the courts for corrupt business deals in
Casablanca building projects. Afilal has denied all
allegations, noting that the courts have not taken action
against him.

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Interior Ministry Requests Mayors Cut Costs
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6. (U) Local Arabic-language daily Al Alam reported on
October 18 that Minister of Interior Mustafa Sahel addressed
an open letter to Mayors and Presidents of urban and rural
communes, encouraging them to be more transparent in the
daily management of their communes and to put an end to
fraud and corruption. Sahel prohibited the purchase of new
vehicles, which are rewards often used to gain the patronage
of local officials. According to press reports, Sahel's
directive is part of a ministry-launched audit in response
to outrageously high electricity, telephone, and water bills

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from the different communes nationwide.

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Most Moroccan Prisoners Serving Less Than Two Years
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7. (U) According to the Moroccan daily L'Economiste,
Minister of Justice Mohamed Bouzoubaa on October 20
announced that 57 percent of inmates in the Moroccan
penitentiary system are serving sentences of less than two
years. Bouzoubaa also explained that 18 percent of
prisoners have sentences between two and five years, and
added that 25 percent of inmates will be incarcerated for
more than five years.

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IVLP Participant Highlights U.S. Values in Mosque Lecture
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8. (SBU) Dr. Driss Kharchaf, who recently returned from a
USG-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program in
the U.S., delivered a Ramadan lecture in Rabat's Badr Mosque
on October 17. According to Embassy sources, Kharchaf
emphasized Moroccan ignorance and misperceptions regarding
the United States and American citizens. Dr. Kharchaf,
professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Mohammed V
University in Rabat, addressed the misperception that
Americans are anti-Islam by saying "there is still a great
reservoir of goodwill in the United States towards people of
other religions and Muslims in particular." He added, "all
we know about the Unites States is what we get from Arab
satellite TV channels. Let me tell you honestly that is not
the United States I visited. Those are not the Americans I
met with." Dr. Kharchaf also noted, "I swear to God if I
closed my eyes when I was there I would have said I was on a
Muslim land. There are so many joint values between us."
(Dr. Kharchaf visited the U.S. in September as one of 4
Moroccan Islamic scholars on a Single-country IVLP on
"Promoting Religious Dialogue.")

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Libyan Asylum-Seeker Finds Refuge in Tree
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9. (SBU) A tree near the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees and US Embassy in Rabat has been "home" to a Libyan
asylum-seeker for nearly ten months, according to Moroccan
press. The asylum-seeker, Omar Ali Abu Bakr, reportedly
fled Libya after he and his family were reportedly abused by
Libyan authorities. According to an embassy employee who
recently spoke with Bakr, he said Libyan authorities have
accused him of placing a bomb in a government conference
room in Tripoli. Bakr added that, in front of his eyes,
members of his family have been killed and his wife
assaulted. Otherwise calm and articulate, Bakr becomes very
emotional where speaking about his wife. Reacting to the
Moroccan media attention the "Libyan in the tree" has
received, the Libyan Embassy in Rabat issued a statement on
October 24 calling Bakr's allegations "baseless." According
to the statement, Bakr suffers from a mental disorder that
has left him "noticeably perplexed and confused."


10. (SBU) Although he accepts food and water from local
residences, Bakr refuses to accept charity, according to the
same embassy employee. Instead, he insists on performing
small tasks, i.e., washing cars, for money. According to an
employee of the Embassy, Bakr appears extremely well-groomed
for a man who has lived in a tree for ten months, suggesting
he does not spend all his time in the tree.