Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06RABAT1148
2006-06-13 16:44:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rabat
Cable title:
WESTERN SAHARA: GENERAL MOSGAARD'S VIEWS
how-toVZCZCXYZ0001 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHRB #1148/01 1641644 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 131644Z JUN 06 FM AMEMBASSY RABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4007 INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 4035 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 2981 RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 5533 RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT PRIORITY 3208 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 4244 RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 8926 RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA PRIORITY 1789 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0993 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0551
C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 001148
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, IO; GENEVA FOR RMA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2009
TAGS: KPKO MO PBTS PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: WESTERN SAHARA: GENERAL MOSGAARD'S VIEWS
Classified By: Pol/C Tim Lenderking for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 001148
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, IO; GENEVA FOR RMA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2009
TAGS: KPKO MO PBTS PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: WESTERN SAHARA: GENERAL MOSGAARD'S VIEWS
Classified By: Pol/C Tim Lenderking for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) Summary: MINURSO Force Commander General Kurt
Mosgaard told the Ambassador June 8 that MINURSO continued to
play an important role in moderating the Western Sahara
conflict. He said tensions were up on both sides, and there
was more talk of war within the Polisario, but MINURSO does
not view a return to war as likely in the near term.
Mosgaard said a more likely scenario was an unauthorized
sneak attack on the Moroccans by a small group of Polisario
soldiers. Mosgaard said the Moroccan security forces were
using excessive force in confronting demonstrations, but he
acknowledged it was still "light" by regional standards. End
Summary.
2. (C) In a rare visit to Rabat, MINURSO Force Commander
General Kurt Mosgaard (Denmark) met with Ambassador for one
hour on June 8 and spoke candidly about the situation in the
Western Sahara. Mosgaard was accompanied by a Danish staff
officer, while the Ambassador was joined by DCM, Polcouns,
Acting DATT, and Army Attache. Ambassador welcomed the visit
and asked Mosgaard what other embassies he was visiting in
Rabat were primarily focused on in their discussions with
him. Mosgaard said most of his discussions centered on the
human rights situation in the territory and on the visit of
the UN Human Rights Commission.
3. (C) While not alarmed, Mosgaard said the risk of conflict
in the Sahara was going up. Tensions are rising, and there
is no light at the end of the tunnel. The Polisario feels
cornered, he said, the latest provocation being the EU
fisheries agreement, and there is more talk of war. He said
the risk of war was still low in MINURSO's view, but noted
the Spanish had concluded in a recent report that the risk of
conflict was up "from 5 percent to 10 percent" (comment:
Spanish Polcouns relayed the same information to us
separately but did not elaborate). Mosgaard said there was
no evidence the Polisario had more money or new armaments.
They did recently obtain, however, about 150 new four by four
land cruisers. There was no evidence either that the
Polisario was making money from selling international
foodstocks. He noted the diet in the camps is boring, and
some refugees barter or sell food supplies from aid agencies
with local shopowners. Mosgaaard was relatively certain the
Polisario was not selling food to buy weapons. DCM pointed
out that food divergence was more likely to take place prior
to delivery in Tindouf and would likely be hard to observe in
the camps.
4. (C) Mosgaard said he believed MINURSO continued to play a
vital role in moderating the conflict. There were not enough
troops in MINURSO to patrol the entire territory, but MINURSO
would be able to witness whether there were any preparations
for large-scale military activity by either side with current
troop strength. Rather than drawing down Mosgaard favored
more aggressive patroling using modern technology including
satellite imagery. He was working with the cartographic
division in New York to obtain more detailed maps of the
territory; MINURSO observers were still using maps from 1967.
Violations from both sides are down, he said, in part
because of MINURSO's more aggressive enforcement of the
military agreement.
5. (C) Mosgaard estimated Polisario military strength at
3-6000 soldiers but said on any given day there were probably
only 1000 troops in the field. MINURSO patrols normally meet
only one military commander in the field. He described the
Polisario military as "laid back" and on a low state of
alert. "Some are friendly to MINURSO, others are not," he
said. Mosgaard said his security concern was less a
centralized Polisario attack and more a fear that a small
group of Polisario soldiers could sneak up to the berm and
fire a mortar at the Moroccans. Moroccan head of the Armed
Forces General Bennani had threatened to attack Tifariti on
several occasions, where the Moroccans allege the Polisario
are building government offices. Mosgaard said there is
nothing more than the foundations of a building underway in
Tifariti. He observed that the construction is not for
military purposes, nor is it located within the restricted
zone. It is not any more of a concern to MINURSO than all
the construction activity in Laayoune, Mosgaard said,
6. (C) The Ambassador asked Mosgaard what impact the
revitalization of CORCAS has had in the territory. Mosgaard
said he rarely has a chance to talk to locals in Laayoune,
but he does speak with journalists and other visitors. His
impression is that CORCAS has had no practical impact so far,
and "people feel they have seen this sort of thing before."
He believes there are only about 25,000 Sahrawis in Laayaoune
out of a population of more than 200,000. The Sahrawis are
generally pro-Polisario, he said.
7. (C) Mosgaard said he meets with General Bennani every two
months. The relationship is professional but not warm.
Mosgaard had issued violations of the military agreement to
the Moroccans which Bennani did not like, such as during the
King's visit to Laayoune in March, when Moroccan security
forces had increased their numbers dramatically. But
Mosgaard said Benanni appreciates that MINURSO patrolling has
decreased Polisario violations as well.
8. (C) Commenting on the human rights situation in the
territory, Mosgaard believed that beatings of demonstrators
and ransacking of their homes by Moroccan security forces
took place regularly. He had not witnessed this himself,
however. It was even difficult to witness demonstrations
directly. They could take place in a small neighborhood at
two in the morning. The Polisario inflated the numbers and
the severity of demonstrations, Mosgaard said. As to the
Moroccan response, while excesses did occur, Mosgaard said
the Moroccan reaction was light by African and Arab
standards, though heavy by Danish standards. The Moroccan
army is deployed in urban areas, he said, which is a
relatively new escalation, but Mosgaard believed the Moroccan
military made a strong effort to avoid direct confrontations
with demonstrators. They were no such incidents he was aware
of.
******************************************
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat
******************************************
Riley
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, IO; GENEVA FOR RMA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2009
TAGS: KPKO MO PBTS PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: WESTERN SAHARA: GENERAL MOSGAARD'S VIEWS
Classified By: Pol/C Tim Lenderking for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) Summary: MINURSO Force Commander General Kurt
Mosgaard told the Ambassador June 8 that MINURSO continued to
play an important role in moderating the Western Sahara
conflict. He said tensions were up on both sides, and there
was more talk of war within the Polisario, but MINURSO does
not view a return to war as likely in the near term.
Mosgaard said a more likely scenario was an unauthorized
sneak attack on the Moroccans by a small group of Polisario
soldiers. Mosgaard said the Moroccan security forces were
using excessive force in confronting demonstrations, but he
acknowledged it was still "light" by regional standards. End
Summary.
2. (C) In a rare visit to Rabat, MINURSO Force Commander
General Kurt Mosgaard (Denmark) met with Ambassador for one
hour on June 8 and spoke candidly about the situation in the
Western Sahara. Mosgaard was accompanied by a Danish staff
officer, while the Ambassador was joined by DCM, Polcouns,
Acting DATT, and Army Attache. Ambassador welcomed the visit
and asked Mosgaard what other embassies he was visiting in
Rabat were primarily focused on in their discussions with
him. Mosgaard said most of his discussions centered on the
human rights situation in the territory and on the visit of
the UN Human Rights Commission.
3. (C) While not alarmed, Mosgaard said the risk of conflict
in the Sahara was going up. Tensions are rising, and there
is no light at the end of the tunnel. The Polisario feels
cornered, he said, the latest provocation being the EU
fisheries agreement, and there is more talk of war. He said
the risk of war was still low in MINURSO's view, but noted
the Spanish had concluded in a recent report that the risk of
conflict was up "from 5 percent to 10 percent" (comment:
Spanish Polcouns relayed the same information to us
separately but did not elaborate). Mosgaard said there was
no evidence the Polisario had more money or new armaments.
They did recently obtain, however, about 150 new four by four
land cruisers. There was no evidence either that the
Polisario was making money from selling international
foodstocks. He noted the diet in the camps is boring, and
some refugees barter or sell food supplies from aid agencies
with local shopowners. Mosgaaard was relatively certain the
Polisario was not selling food to buy weapons. DCM pointed
out that food divergence was more likely to take place prior
to delivery in Tindouf and would likely be hard to observe in
the camps.
4. (C) Mosgaard said he believed MINURSO continued to play a
vital role in moderating the conflict. There were not enough
troops in MINURSO to patrol the entire territory, but MINURSO
would be able to witness whether there were any preparations
for large-scale military activity by either side with current
troop strength. Rather than drawing down Mosgaard favored
more aggressive patroling using modern technology including
satellite imagery. He was working with the cartographic
division in New York to obtain more detailed maps of the
territory; MINURSO observers were still using maps from 1967.
Violations from both sides are down, he said, in part
because of MINURSO's more aggressive enforcement of the
military agreement.
5. (C) Mosgaard estimated Polisario military strength at
3-6000 soldiers but said on any given day there were probably
only 1000 troops in the field. MINURSO patrols normally meet
only one military commander in the field. He described the
Polisario military as "laid back" and on a low state of
alert. "Some are friendly to MINURSO, others are not," he
said. Mosgaard said his security concern was less a
centralized Polisario attack and more a fear that a small
group of Polisario soldiers could sneak up to the berm and
fire a mortar at the Moroccans. Moroccan head of the Armed
Forces General Bennani had threatened to attack Tifariti on
several occasions, where the Moroccans allege the Polisario
are building government offices. Mosgaard said there is
nothing more than the foundations of a building underway in
Tifariti. He observed that the construction is not for
military purposes, nor is it located within the restricted
zone. It is not any more of a concern to MINURSO than all
the construction activity in Laayoune, Mosgaard said,
6. (C) The Ambassador asked Mosgaard what impact the
revitalization of CORCAS has had in the territory. Mosgaard
said he rarely has a chance to talk to locals in Laayoune,
but he does speak with journalists and other visitors. His
impression is that CORCAS has had no practical impact so far,
and "people feel they have seen this sort of thing before."
He believes there are only about 25,000 Sahrawis in Laayaoune
out of a population of more than 200,000. The Sahrawis are
generally pro-Polisario, he said.
7. (C) Mosgaard said he meets with General Bennani every two
months. The relationship is professional but not warm.
Mosgaard had issued violations of the military agreement to
the Moroccans which Bennani did not like, such as during the
King's visit to Laayoune in March, when Moroccan security
forces had increased their numbers dramatically. But
Mosgaard said Benanni appreciates that MINURSO patrolling has
decreased Polisario violations as well.
8. (C) Commenting on the human rights situation in the
territory, Mosgaard believed that beatings of demonstrators
and ransacking of their homes by Moroccan security forces
took place regularly. He had not witnessed this himself,
however. It was even difficult to witness demonstrations
directly. They could take place in a small neighborhood at
two in the morning. The Polisario inflated the numbers and
the severity of demonstrations, Mosgaard said. As to the
Moroccan response, while excesses did occur, Mosgaard said
the Moroccan reaction was light by African and Arab
standards, though heavy by Danish standards. The Moroccan
army is deployed in urban areas, he said, which is a
relatively new escalation, but Mosgaard believed the Moroccan
military made a strong effort to avoid direct confrontations
with demonstrators. They were no such incidents he was aware
of.
******************************************
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat
******************************************
Riley