SAHRAWI ACTIVIST DISCUSSES CORCAS AND OTHER ISSUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 001159 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2011 TAGS: PBTS PGOV PHUM MO SUBJECT: SAHRAWI ACTIVIST DISCUSSES CORCAS AND OTHER ISSUES REF: A. RABAT 01087 ¶B. RABAT 537 Classified By: Political Officer Cherie Lenzen for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: On June 6, Brahim Dahane, president of the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations Committed by the State of Morocco (ASVDDH),met with Poloffs. Dahane traveled to Rabat to discuss the current situation in the Western Sahara, particularly in Laayoune, and two specific issues -- the formal registration of the ASVDDH by the GOM and the return of his passport and those of his other colleagues so they can travel to the US. Dahane is well-known to Poloffs from previous visits to Laayoune and presents his understanding of issues and concerns in an articulate manner. Dahane is not impressed with CORCAS, although one member of his organization is a member, and believes it to be a GOM creation to manipulate the population in the Western Sahara. End Summary. -------------- Talking about CORCAS -------------- ¶2. (C) Dahane's negative views on CORCAS are not surprising, based on previous conversations with him in which he has clearly stated the GOM must leave the Western Sahara so it can become an independent state. For Dahane, CORCAS is nothing new, and it was formed to legitimize the GOM's economic exploitation of the Western Sahara as well as serve the personal interests of CORCAS members, including the president Khalihenna Ould Er Rachid. One member of CORCAS is also a member of ASVDDH; however, Dahane would not identify the person. But he did say there were a number of people within CORCAS who support independence for the Western Sahara. He said most CORCAS members had no advance notice they had been appointed to the organization, and many were surprised. Dahane thinks that the purpose of CORCAS is to fool Sahrawis into thinking a real discussion about the future of the Western Sahara is occurring when in fact the process is only a game. CORCAS is only an "empty vehicle" for Dahane. When pushed about CORCAS being inclusive, Dahane described the members and the process as "fascist." Dahane said he would not work with Khalihenna as the latter was merely out to pursue his own personal interests. -------------- Passports and Registration -------------- ¶3. (C) According to Dahane, eleven Sahrawis (eight from Laayoune, including Mohamed Dadache and Dahane, two from Dakhla and one from Boujdour) still have no passports after having them confiscated several years ago by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI). Dahane, saying he has an invitation to visit the US, although he would not produce a letter or provide a name, would like the Embassy to intervene on his behalf with the MOI. The MOI took his passport in March ¶2003. Dahane said he contacted the appropriate offices in Laayoune many times to no avail (comment: it is likely that Dahane seeks to accompany to the US Sahrawi female activist Aminatou Haidar, who we understand has been invited to Washington by Amnesty International. Haidar is currently traveling in Europe). ¶4. (C) The ASVDDH, according to Dahane, applied to the MOI to become a registered nongovernmental organization (NGO) one year ago. The sixty-one member organization supplied all of the necessary support documentation, but has not received a response from the MOI. Dahane requested that the Embassy intervene on behalf of the ASVDDH. While not committing Embassy action, Poloffs requested copies of the NGO application materials to review them. ¶5. (C) Early in the conversation Dahane mentioned the recently posted 164-page ASVDDH human rights report posted to a Polisario website, www.arso.org. When asked if he belonged to the Polisario, Dahane dodged the question. He did say, though, that Sahrawi activist Ali Salem Tamek is a member of the Polisario. He said the ASVDDH is developing its own website. The intention of the ASVDDH is to make public the abuses it perceives the GOM as committing in the territory, about which the organization keeps detailed records. Dahane said the Polisario blocked the emergence of his NGO for a number of years. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) We do not plan at present to directly assist Dahane with the return of his passport, or the other ten Sahrawis, or with the registration of the ASVDDH. But these are the kinds of issues we could discuss with the MOI if they choose to follow through on their suggestion earlier this year to develop a human rights dialogue with the USG, a move we have welcomed. ¶7. (C) It is unfortunate that Dahane and other activists like him are not part of the dialogue that CORCAS claims to seek. Without the inclusion of "separatist" voices, it is unlikely that whatever autonomy plan CORCAS produces will be viewed as circumspect, and falling short of a real solution to the political, economic and cultural issues in the Western Sahara. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** Riley