WESTERN SAHARA: AUTONOMY, INTEGRATION, AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000431

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG, DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2011
TAGS: PGOV PBTS PHUM MO
SUBJECT: WESTERN SAHARA: AUTONOMY, INTEGRATION, AND
SEPARATION

REF: A. 05 RABAT 2262

B. RABAT 240 AND PREVIOUS

C. RABAT 238

Classified By: Pol/C Timothy Lenderking, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: During the mission's last visit to the
Western Sahara in late January, and in a subsequent
conversation with the Mayor of Laayoune in Rabat, emboffs
have had opportunities to engage with local officials, NGOs,
and other contacts concerning their views on autonomy,
integration, and independence. While views differ on the way
forward, contacts confirm there is a "buzz" in the city of
Laayoune concerning autonomy, triggered by the King's
December speech (Ref A) and call on political parties and
NGOs to weigh on the Sahara issue. While there may be a
vigorous discussion emerging, with many people eager to
communicate their views to the palace, most of our contacts,
including the Wali and Mayor of Laayoune, have been unclear
as to how they are meant to do so. Summing up the point that
the consultations remain thus far a palace-managed affair,
with uneven initiative from the parties themselves, the Mayor
told us plaintively on March 6 that "I have not been
consulted yet." End Summary.

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The Wali: Voice of the GOM
--------------


2. (C) During a January 25 meeting with the Wali of
Laayoune, Driss Sharqi, covering a number of issues
(reftels),Emboffs and visiting NEA/MAG Desk Officer Ewing
sought to engage the Wali on his views on autonomy. Sharqi
adhered closely to the GOM party line, referring to the
Western Sahara as the "southern provinces." He countered
criticism of human rights by stressing that the GOM
guarantees human rights and that the GOM development plan of
the "southern province" is one which integrates economic and
social needs with the people's aspirations.


3. (C) According to Sharqi, the GOM is actively engaged in
the process of developing an autonomy plan for the Western
Sahara which is to be submitted to the UN in April. He
understands the Algerian position to be the same as the
Polisario's, and he thinks it is too "concrete." For Sharqi,
the autonomy plan is part of the "evolutionary process of
effective democracy" which started under King Hassan II
(Note: Sharqi's phrasing was very similar to that used by
King Mohammed VI in recent speeches. End Note.) Sharqi spun
the autonomy plan as resolving an issue that were it to
continue would breed terrorism among the Polisario and foster
instability in Mauritania and the Sahel.


4. (C) When asked about the role of the political parties
and particularly the role of the Islamist PJD in formulating
an autonomy plan, Sharqi said that the GOM is consistently in
dialogue with the parties and that the Western Sahara is only
one of many issues discussed.

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A Peaceful Solution: Is it integration?
--------------


5. (C) Like the Wali, who clearly thinks the Western Sahara
is part of Morocco's territorial integrity, so does Mohamed
Larhdaf Eddah, the director of Laayoune regional television
and a former reporter for AFP and himself a Sahrawi. For
Eddah, Western Sahara has historical links to Morocco and not
to Algeria. Eddah expressed that he wants a peaceful
solution to the issue of the Western Sahara that will allow
all residents to benefit from the territory's resources.


6. (C) Eddah's peaceful vision for the way ahead in the
Western Sahara would include freedom of expression, an
independent judiciary, preservation of Sahrawi culture, and
revenue-sharing of natural resources of the region. Eddah
emphasized that with a 29 percent unemployment rate, there is
potential discontent in the Sahara, whose only fix is
economic stability. He mentioned the possibility of
developing tourism, drawing visitors from the Canary Islands,

which he said are "overbooked." In fact, he said, the Canary
Islands Chamber of Commerce has suggested a free investment
zone in the Western Sahara.


7. (C) Defining himself as a pacifist, Eddah said he is
trying to avoid extremes and is attempting to promote
dialogue; thus he started a regional television station in

2005. The television station, he said, presents everyone's
side, including the Polisario's. The Polisario, however, did
not like the fact that all sides were presented, something
that contributed to the series of demonstrations since May
(Comment: we will take a closer look at the content of this
regional television station to assess Eddah's various claims.
End Comment).


8. (C) According to Eddah, people are not yet talking about
an autonomy plan because there is nothing substantial
available for them to discuss. What information is available
is from Algeria and local Polisario members, both of whom
discuss the politics of the situation rather than the social
and economic aspects.


9. (C) The preservation of Sahrawi culture is important to
Eddah. He discussed "Hassaniyya culture," the tribal
confederation identification, rather than "Sahrawi culture."
Mali, Mauritania, Algeria and Morocco all have Hassaniyya in
them, totaling approximately five million. Morocco, however,
has failed to capitalize on this fact, according to Eddah.
To preserve Hassaniyya culture, Eddah suggested a unified
approach bringing in academics and universities. He did
emphasize, though, that the approaches taken and the
methodologies employed would need to be well-defined. Part
of the discussion on the Hassaniyya concerned women, who,
according to Eddah, are more advanced than their Moroccan
counterparts. Eddah said that polygamy is not practiced in
the Sahara, there is no violence in the family, and divorce
is permissible.


10. (C) Eddah compared the situation of the Hassaniyya to
the Berber who with three different groups (that is the Rif,
Middle Atlas and Soussi) have successfully banded together,
and, resolved their problems with the GOM. For Eddah, the
unity of a country means democracy and the first step would
be for truly democratic representation in the Western Sahara.
People would not return from the Tindouf camps before they
have guarantees from the GOM, including real democracy.


11. (C) To emphasize his points, Eddah related his own
history: he is originally from a village twenty-six
kilometers south of Laayoune; his family was exiled to the
south; and his father, a Polisario member, was imprisoned in
Laayoune. Originally, Eddah was part of the GOM in Laayoune
and a member of the Istiqlal party. In 1990, he became a
journalist, and then last year established the television
station.

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Sahrawi NGOs: Are we integrated?
--------------


12. (C) Emboffs met with a group of Sahrawi NGOs on January
25, most of whose leaders were former members of the
Polisario who either became disillusioned with the movement
and fled or were caught trying to escape. Emboffs have met
with some of the NGOs on previous visits and have found their
pitch to vary little, as they are part of the official
dog-and-pony show put on for outside visitors to the
territory. These NGOs are pro-GOM and vehemently opposed to
the Polisario and Algeria. Ahmed Khara, from the Association
of the Parents of Sahrawi Victims, was initially a member of
the Polisario. He spent fourteen years in prison in Tindouf;
in 1995, he returned to Morocco with his family. T. Al
Mousouwai represented the Sahrawi Tribute to Unity and
Development; Nabit Raggas, representing the organization
Sahrawi Flame, spent eight years in prison; and Ahmed
Talougi, who spent ten years in Polisario prisons,
represented the Association of Victims of Torture. There
were representatives from the Association of the Disappeared
(by the Polisario) and two youth/environmental organizations.
They claimed the Polisario today is little more than a

"desert mafia," a band of traffickers in persons, drugs and
guns.


13. (C) When asked about their views on autonomy, the
representatives lapsed into denouncing the Polisario. They
accused the organization of "brainwashing" youth, torturing
people, serving as lackeys of Algeria, from whom they want
reparations. While they stressed another (small) state in
the region is not viable, only grudgingly did they support
the King's autonomy plan, apparently favoring a merger with
Morocco. Raggas pointed out that the world identifies three
parties in the dispute over the Western Sahara -- Morocco,
Algeria and the Polisario -- but does not talk about the
Sahrawis. The NGO representatives defined themselves as part
of a broader group, i.e., Hassaniyya, and compared their
situation to that of the Kurds -- dispersed among other
nations.

-------------- --------------
Sahrawi Dissidents: No autonomy -- independence only
-------------- --------------


14. (C) In a meeting with twelve Sahrawi dissidents the
evening of January 25 (Ref C),the message was clear: no
autonomy, only independence. While the dissidents could not
articulate a vision of independence, it was clear that this
group did not favor Moroccan involvement in the future. When
asked specifically if they felt themselves to be part of a
larger group of people, i.e., a Sahrawi nation, they said no
-- the only people about whom they are concerned are those
located in the Western Sahara (subtly disputing references to
Hassaniyya culture made by others).

--------------
The PJD: Is it involved with the planning?
--------------


15. (C) Emboffs also discussed autonomy with PJD
representative Brahim Eddaif, who expressed clearly a
generational difference among residents of the Western
Sahara. He said his generation, i.e., people in their 40's,
tolerated problems in the Western Sahara, today's youth will
not, however. According to Eddaif, there is official and
unofficial debate on the autonomy plan, but the south remains
distrustful of the north. A January conference in Laayoune
was held by the PJD in which representatives from Awsard,
Boujdour, Dakhla and Laayoune prepared a plan, and, it is
ready to be presented to the King and the government at the
appropriate time.


16. (C) Eddaif said that the proposed autonomy plan is
modeled after the Spanish and German systems which allow for
regional justice systems and respect regional traditions,
including those related to civil law. The autonomy plan
would, according to Eddaif, be a political solution and
officially end the conflict. He noted that the Western
Sahara actually needs an economic development plan. Eddaif
accused the GOM of favoring certain tribes, creating an elite
and unequal distribution of wealth.


17. (C) Like Eddah, Eddaif does not think that the elected
regional representatives serve the Sahrawi population
adequately. Past elections were unfair and lacked
transparency, according to Eddaif. When asked whether the
Ministry of the Interior (MOI) still firmly controls the
Western Sahara, Eddaif said "what we want is for the MOI to
be involved only in security issues and leave politics and
economic issues for political parties and civil society to
deal with."

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Mayor Of Laayoune
--------------


18. (C) During a March 6 call at his Rabat residence (where
he clearly spends a good deal of his time),Laayoune Mayor
Hani Henna Ould Er Rachida agreed there is considerable
debate underway in the territory on the way forward for a
political solution to the Western Sahara conflict. Sahrawis
are impatient, he said, and full of expectation about the

coming months. He said the fifteen years since the
cease-fire have been characterized by political stalemate,
and as a result people are eager for progress. In the face
of scant progress up to now, a political void has resulted,
whose terms have been largely defined by the Polisario.
Young people in the territory find Polisario rhetoric
attractive because it offers a vision for the future. The
GOM has brought development to the territory, but there has
been inadequate coordination and involvement by Sahrawis. In
the end, no one in the territory supports the status quo,
despite the higher salaries and incentives to immigrate to
the Sahara. The vast majority of the population wants real
autonomy; a few want independence, the mayor acknowledged,
but "no one" wants full integration with Morocco. The
problem again is the political void that has resulted from
the political stalemate; the Polisario has filled it by
putting forward its own ideas, which are attractive to young
people, many of whom lack a political vision of their own for
the Western Sahara. Nevertheless, striking a decidedly
reactive posture, the Mayor said that despite the buzz in
Laayoune, "I have not yet been consulted on my ideas."

--------------
Political Party Activities Step Up
--------------


19. (C) Numerous political parties are apparently heeding
the King's call for input and getting active in discussing
the issue with their members and constituents. The PJD, for
example, is teaming up with the smaller Citizen Forces (FC)
party to host a conference in Rabat March 10-11 entitled
"Regionalisation and Autonomy: Models and Lessons," to which
numerous foreign experts (from Italy, Belgium, Germany,
Canada, France, and Spain) have been invited. Istiqlal
Secretary General Abbas el Fassi led a delegation of

SIPDIS
government ministers to Laayoune the last week of February
for meetings with tribal leaders and elected officials to
exchange views on autonomy, and plans to visit the US in late
March to discuss Morocco's ideas with US officials. Heads of
major political parties reportedly briefed Palace advisors
Mohamed Moatassim and Meziane Belfqih on March 2 on their
deliberations thus far. Post will report in further detail
on these events and offer further comment on the extent to
which a genuine consultation is taking place.

--------------
Comment
--------------


20. (C) It is clear from our meetings that a discussion -- to
what extent it is a debate is unclear -- on autonomy is
underway in at least the urban areas of the Western Shara and
has created a buzz in the territory. Broadly speaking the
Sahrawi population is agitated by the lack of resolution of
the conflict and articulates degrees of frustration with the
GOM without necessarily embracing a desire for independence.
Clearly there is an eagerness for greater political
involvement among Sahrawis -- a say in the future -- and it
remains to be seen to what extent the King's call for
consultations will address that need. Whether agreeing with
GOM claims to the territory or disputing them, contacts
voiced a unifying theme that the GOM is still reluctant to
fully open the political space for open debate, or to accord
the territory a level of freedom of expression that exists in
Morocco proper. Those not echoing the GOM party-line remain
somewhat suppressed, even if their message is not one that
necessarily favors the Polisario.


21. (U) NEA/MAG Ewing cleared this message.
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Riley