AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL ON NEW MINISTER OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000558 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG, INL, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2010 TAGS: MO PBTS PGOV PHUM PREL PTER SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL ON NEW MINISTER OF INTERIOR REF: A. RABAT 531 ¶B. RABAT 552 Classified By: Ambassador Thomas T. Riley for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Ambassador called on new Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa the afternoon of March 28. Ambassador expressed appreciation for the strong relations between the USG and the ministry and encouraged the MOI to go forward with anti money laundering legislation as well as a letter of agreement allowing funding for security assistance from INL. DCM thanked the Minister for strong security cooperation with the US. On the Western Sahara, the Minister said Morocco's path forward, through the revitalization of the royal council on Sahrawi affairs (CORCAS),should be seen in the context of Morocco's commitment to reform. The Western Sahara was no less challenging an issue than other reforms pursued by Morocco. Evidently briefed on the latest US human rights reports and perhaps on Moroccan Ambassador Mekouar's late March meeting with DRL A/S Lowenkron, the Minister proposed an informal dialogue with the US mission on human rights issues to ensure we were getting accurate information. The Ambassador welcomed the idea. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Ambassador, accompanied by DCM and Polcouns, called on new Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa the afternoon of March 28. Benmoussa was joined by MOI Governor Mohiuddin Amzazi and Governor for Border Control Khalid Zerouali. The Ambassador congratulated Benmoussa on his appointment as minister and expressed USG appreciation for the strong relations between the mission and the Ministry of Interior. The Ambassador stressed it was fortunate for the USG to have a minister who already knew the issues very well, since Benmoussa had served as MOI Secretary General for four years. Benmoussa described relations with the US as excellent and far exceeding the mandate of the MOI. US-Morocco relations, he said, were good across the board and at all levels. He had heard that PM Jettou had had a good visit to Washington earlier in March under the auspices of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The Ambassador agreed it was useful visit. ¶3. (C) The Ambassador noted the MOI was important to the US in a number of ways, including in facilitating the work of US businesses, such as American company Fruit of the Loom which was seeking resolution of pricing for electricity to power its plant in Morocco. The Ambassador asked for the Ministry's support in resolving the problem, as this was a large American investment in Morocco and one the company had made after carefully researching the benefits of substantially increasing its operations to Morocco. AML and INL Assistance -------------- ¶4. (C) The Ambassador encouraged Morocco to move forward with long-stalled legislation on anti money-laundering. Benmoussa responded there was a bill being finalized. The legislation was at an advanced stage. He agreed that while Morocco's counterterrorism efforts were good there was always room for improvement. ¶5. (C) The Ambassador also hoped the MOI would sign a letter of agreement with the US that would allow INL-funded security assistance programs to be implemented. Benmoussa said he foresaw no problem with this and hoped MOI and the US Embassy would continue to meet to discuss US-funded assistance programs since it was in the interests of both countries. Security Cooperation -------------- ¶6. (C) DCM expressed appreciation for Moroccan security cooperation with the US, and specifically in providing protection of the US mission and personnel in Rabat, Casablanca, and Tangiers. Benmoussa said the cooperation would of course continue but joked that the level of attention the MOI gave to US security needs made some other embassies jealous. Benmoussa added there was new legislation in the works to regulate and establish standards for the various private security companies proliferating in Morocco. Western Sahara -------------- ¶7. (C) DCM asked Benmoussa about his time with the King in the Western Sahara the previous week (Ref A). Benmoussa said there were three parallel sets of consultations underway in Morocco: among political parties, among the population in general, and now within the new Sahrawi council, CORCAS. This demonstrated Morocco's serious commitment to autonomy. CORCAS would not only focus on autonomy, Benmoussa said, but would also consider development issues. CORCAS enjoyed strong participation by elected officials, civil society, women, and youth and provided a balance between various "sensibilities." CORCAS helped re-dyanmize the pursuit of autonomy and would help Morocco produce a clear plan. The Ambassador noted that he had participated in a meeting earlier that day (Ref B) at the MFA to provide more information on CORCAS's role and mission. Ambassador asked Benmoussa about the membership of the council and whether it included those with different views on the way forward, specifically those who might oppose autonomy. The Minister did not answer directly, but stated the process parallels what Morocco underwent before producing the family code reforms and the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER). The Council would help "narrow the gaps," the Minister said. The Ambassador responded that family reforms and the IER did not require working with the UN or the Polisario. Benmoussa said maybe so, but the reforms were also very sensitive. They were big steps for Morocco to take, as was the autonomy project. Ambassador added that consultations regarding Morocco's the Millennium Challenge account compact proposal, underway this week in Ourzazate, also needed to be genuine, to avoid the impression that the compact was all cooked up in Rabat. Human Rights -------------- ¶8. (C) Benmoussa expressed hope for an informal, periodic dialogue with the US on human rights issues. He did not criticize the recently released human rights reports, but said he an exchange of information on rights issues would be useful. He wanted us to make sure we were getting accurate information and a true picture of the human rights situation in Morocco. He said the MOI would be open and available for such a dialogue. The Ambassador agreed the mission would be as well. (Comment: we will follow up on this). Bio Note -------------- ¶9. (U) Benmoussa became Interior Minister on February 15, 2006 after serving four years as the MOI's Secretary General. Benmoussa replaced Mustapha Sahel, who is now Morocco's PermRep in New York. Benmoussa was born in Fez in 1958. He graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris (1979) and from the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chausses (road construction) in Paris (1981). He also holds a DESS (diploma of specialized studies) from the ISCAE (Institute Suprieur du Commerce et de l,Administration des Entreprises) (commerce and business management) as well as a Master of Science from MIT. Benmoussa has held several other positions. He was research assistant at the MIT hydrodynamics Laboratory from 1981 to 1983. He then became head of the Management Methods section at the Road Services from 1983 to 1985. He also served as consulting engineer in the research office Conseil Ingnierie et dveloppement from 1985 to 1987, before being appointed Director of Planning and Research at the Ministry of Equipment. Benmoussa served successively as Director of the Roads and Road Traffic at the Ministry of Equipment (1989-1995),Secretary General at the Prime Ministers Department (1995-1998),Deputy-President of SONAID (steel company),and President of the Tangier Free Zone (1998-2000). Since 2000, he has been a member of the ONA Executive Committee and Administrator General Director of the group Brasseries du Maroc (breweries). On December 11, 2002, he was appointed Wali, Secretary General at the Ministry of Interior. Benmoussa is married and has two children. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** Riley