MOROCCO AT THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

UNCLAS RABAT 001720 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL MO SUBJECT: MOROCCO AT THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY REF: A. STATE 149622 ¶B. STATE 149099 ¶C. STATE 148914 Sensitive but Unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Embassy Rabat has conveyed to senior levels of the GOM the U.S. invitation for Morocco to participate with President Bush in a roundtable discussion on democracy on the margins of UNGA, September 19 (ref B). Morocco will be represented in the discussion by Prime Minister Jettou. ¶2. (SBU) The Embassy has also conveyed the invitation for Morocco to participate in the September 20 Community of Democracies Ministerial (ref A),and the request for a bilateral meeting between U/S Burns and Foreign Minister Benaissa, within the parameters conveyed ref C. Foreign Minister Benaissa is currently leading the Moroccan delegation to the NAM summit in Havana. ¶3. (SBU) Additionally, the Embassy approached Zouheir Merchaoui, Chief of Staff to Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) Secretary-General Ben Yahia, with the request that U/S Burns SIPDIS be included in an AMU meeting on the margins of UNGA (ref C). Merchaoui undertook to pass the request to Ben Yahia, who is traveling, and respond as soon as possible. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** RILEY