Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06RABAT1284
2006-07-05 08:21:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Rabat
Cable title:  

DAS GRAY MEETS SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ARAB

Tags:  PREL PTER PBTS PGOV MO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8933
RR RUEHTRO
DE RUEHRB #1284/01 1860821
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 050821Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4192
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 4068
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3007
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 3225
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4274
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0082
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 8956
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 1872
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 001284 

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG, AF/SPG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2016
TAGS: PREL PTER PBTS PGOV MO
SUBJECT: DAS GRAY MEETS SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ARAB
MAGHREB UNION


Classified By: AMBASSADOR THOMAS R. RILEY FOR REASON 1.4 (B) AND (D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 001284

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG, AF/SPG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2016
TAGS: PREL PTER PBTS PGOV MO
SUBJECT: DAS GRAY MEETS SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ARAB
MAGHREB UNION


Classified By: AMBASSADOR THOMAS R. RILEY FOR REASON 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary. On June 29, DAS Gordon Gray and Ambassador
Riley discussed the revitalization of the Arab Maghreb Union
(AMU) with the organization's Secretary General Al Habib bin
Yahia. Bin Yahia shared a number of ways he is trying to
reinvigorate the AMU after many years of lackluster results.
Adopting a bottom up approach, the Secretary General hopes to
increase personal contacts between representatives of the
AMU's five member states on regional issues, such as
desertification and terrorism, that they are more likely to
agree on. Once confidence building measures have been
established and the benefits of cooperation have been
demonstrated, bin Yahia hopes this will contribute to a
suitable atmosphere for member states to be able to address
the larger issue of the Western Sahara. DAS Gray and
Ambassador Riley expressed appreciation for the strategy and
offered USG assistance in working with AMU members to promote
regional integration and cooperation. End summary.


2. (C) Bin Yahia said that Tunisian President Ben Ali had
instructed him to revitalize the AMU after the organization
had achieved mediocre results since its inception in 1989.
The Secretary General noted a study by the World Bank and IMF
that said the economic integration of the Maghreb could
increase economic growth by 2-3 percent for each country. He
shared the report with each of the AMU states to encourage
their support. He also added the importance of Maghreb
socio-economic success to the European Union (EU) as the
region's neighbor and economic partner. Bin Yahia added that
although the AMU has not been involved in resolving the
bilateral issue of the Western Sahara, the issue has derailed
the AMU's ability to successfully address numerous other
regional issues. Historically, Morocco and Algeria have
sought to defer other AMU issues until after the Western
Sahara had been resolved. At the Barcelona Process meeting

in 1995, the AMU set goals of increasing vertical integration
with the EU and sub-regional horizontal integration. Thus
far, bin Yahia opined, the sub-regional integration was
lagging behind that with the EU. He added "after 40 years of
independence, it is time to start working together."


3. (C) Recently, the Secretary General has adopted a number
of confidence building measures by promoting regional
contacts at the ministerial and sub-ministerial level. The
AMU's Foreign Ministers Council has four committees covering
the issues of infrastructure, agriculture, human resources
and economics. Each committee has several sub-committees and
this resulted in a total of 115 meetings during 2005. While
bin Yahia said this was too much, it had successfully created
a network of contacts. He said representatives from each of
the five member states must be present in order to hold a
meeting and the Moroccans and Algerians regularly work
together without problems. Bin Yahia explained that these
meetings help promote the confidence building process and
show the potential benefits of shared prosperity and economic
growth. The AMU has recently established a business
committee comprised of members of the private sector
(previously uninvolved in the integration process) and a
Maghreb Union NGO. It also recently hosted a ministerial
level meeting to discuss avian flu and is working to revive
its security committee, comprised of Ministers of Interior,
and its agriculture committee. Gray agreed this was a good
start for future Maghreb integration and added that problems
such as illegal migration, desertification and terrorism do
not follow national boundaries. He added that the USG shares
many of the same goals and offered USG assistance in
encouraging AMU members to participate in AMU activities.


4. (C) Gray asked bin Yahia's opinion of the situation in
the Western Sahara and he replied that the GOM's preparation
of an autonomy plan was a good start. He appreciated that
the GOM had offered to meet with all parties, including the
Polisario. He emphasized that the relationship between
Morocco and Algeria was the real problem but that the
situation between Morocco and the Polisario would be "easy to
fix." By successfully addressing the numerous smaller
problems, bin Yahia said, the other problems would take care
of themselves. However, time is of the essence, he said,
especially on the issue of terrorism.


5. (C) Comment. Bin Yahia's method of revitalizing the AMU

RABAT 00001284 002 OF 002


through confidence building measures on smaller issues
appears to be paying dividends. Recently established and
resurrected committees may help to sustain cooperation among
member countries.


6. (U) Gray cleared this cable.
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RILEY