POLISARIO PERCEIVES CHANGE IN U.S. POLICY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 002025 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2016 TAGS: PREL PHUM PBTS PREF AG SUBJECT: POLISARIO PERCEIVES CHANGE IN U.S. POLICY REF: ALGIERS 1813 Classified By: DCM Thomas F. Daughton; reasons 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (C) During a November 16-17 orientation visit to Sahrawi refugee camps in the Tindouf region of Algeria, NEA/MAG desk officer and poloff met with Polisario Secretary-General Mohamed Abdelaziz and Polisario Representative to the U.S. Mouloud Said. Abdelaziz provided his version of the history of the Polisario conflict, in which Morocco and France had worked hand-in-glove against Sahrawi interests while the U.S. had maintained a stance of neutrality and evenhandedness. Recently, however, Abdelaziz had perceived a shift in U.S. policy in favor of Morocco. Four recent U.S. government actions had brought Abdelaziz to this conclusion: -- Meetings between U.S. government officials and CORCAS "at the State Department," which effectively recognized CORCAS as the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people because the U.S. government had refused to receive officially representatives of the Polisario. -- U.S. abstention on UN Fourth Committee draft resolution A/C.4/61/L.5 (ref),which put the U.S. government in the camp of "only France and Morocco." -- The U.S. failure to press for human rights language before giving its support for UNSC Resolution 1720 extending MINURSO for six months. -- The U.S. explanation of vote for UNSCR 1720, which referred to Morocco's formulation of an autonomy proposal and was therefore essentially a U.S. declaration of support for a Moroccan autonomy-based resolution of the conflict. ¶2. (C) In response, poloff and deskoff noted our abiding interest in a resolution to the conflict and stressed that the U.S. was not taking Morocco's side in the dispute. We also urged the Polisario to pursue constructive dialogue with Morocco and promised to relay Abdelaziz's comments to Washington. ¶3. (C) Comment: Abdelaziz's arguments, sometimes inaccurate, were from the same script used by other Polisario officials during the visit. The script also included longstanding talking points on Morocco's refusal to accept the Baker Plan, the need for a referendum on Sahrawi independence, and the possibility of a return to armed struggle absent MINURSO. Abdelaziz's addition of the CORCAS delegation and other concerns to the usual litany suggests that the Polisario leadership is worried by what it perceives to be the current direction of U.S. policy. FORD