PARTY FOR JUSTICE AND DEVELOPMENT HOSTS CONFERENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000633

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, R

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2016
TAGS: KISL PGOV PREL PHUM MO
SUBJECT: PARTY FOR JUSTICE AND DEVELOPMENT HOSTS CONFERENCE
ON U.S. DECISION-MAKING

REF: A. RABAT 617

B. RABAT 461

C. RABAT 48

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


1. (C) Summary: The Islamist Party for Justice and
Development (PJD) hosted a conference March 31-April 1 on
"U.S. Decision-Making and Its Impact on Moroccan-American
Relations." Participants included party leaders as well as
rank and file PJD members, select diplomats, academics and
NGOs. Guest speakers included PolCouns, Moroccan and American
academics and party activists. The sole Moroccan diplomat
invited to speak was a no-show. The two-day conference
addressed such issues as the Western Sahara, the U.S.-Morocco
free trade agreement (FTA),and the spread of democracy in
the Arab world. PJD Secretary General Saad Eddin Othmani
told Ambassador in an April 3 meeting that the PJD viewed the
conference as a forum for dialogue on a critical issue for
Morocco as well as a means for "training" the PJD "cadres."
As a result, local PJD leaders had been invited from outside
of Rabat to attend (ref a). Segments of the conference were
broadcast live on Al-Jazeera, including the speech given by
University of Maryland professor Louis Cantori. The
well-organized conference, which follows on the heels of the
PJD's late February conference on autonomy, was mostly free
of the usual polemics and rhetoric so often heard when
discussing American foreign policy in the Arab world and as a
result, was useful for the dialogue engendered on both sides.
The PJD's understanding of this issue will no doubt be even
more enhanced once SYG Othmani embarks on his VOLVIS program
in the U.S. in early May. End summary.


2. (SBU) At a two-day conference in Rabat, the Islamist
Party for Justice and Development (PJD) examined the question
of U.S. decision-making and its impact on Moroccan-American
relations. Observers included party leaders, rank and file
members from throughout Morocco, invited diplomats, academics
and NGOs. Participants included American and Moroccan
academics, former GOM officials, party activists and
PolCouns. The sole GOM official invited to present on
"U.S.-Moroccan Relations: Achievements and Perspectives" did
not show. Slick programs in both English and Arabic and
simultaneous translation facilitated comprehension by invited
diplomats and American guest speakers including Dr. Louis
Cantori from the University of Maryland, Dr. Matthew Anthony
Evangelista from Cornell, and Dr. John Damis from Portland
State University.


3. (SBU) A panel format followed by questions and answers
brought together diverse speakers to discuss such topics as
the role of the legislative and executive branches, political
parties, think tanks, lobbies and "born-again Christians" in
U.S. foreign policy decision-making; the impact of American
foreign policy on the Arab-Islamic world; and U.S. foreign
policy and its impact on U.S.-Moroccan relations, including
on the Western Sahara issue. PolCouns spoke on American
policy and its impact on Moroccan-American relations. The
absence of the sole invited GOM official prompted several
comments on the "absence of Moroccan diplomacy," in general.
The speech given by Dr. Louis Cantori on American promotion
of democracy was broadcast live on Al Jazeera.
PJD-affiliated Arabic daily Al-Tajdid noted that the most
important topics raised were the Western Sahara and its place
in U.S. decision-making and the spread of democracy in the
Arab world.

PJD SYG on strengths/weaknesses of US-Moroccan relations
-------------- --------------

4. (SBU) PJD Secretary General Saad Eddin Othmani opened the
conference by explaining that the meeting was one in a series
being organized by the PJD to promote a better understanding
of international relations. Othmani noted that the party was
focusing on the U.S. for several reasons including: the fact
that the U.S. has great influence over world affairs; the
need to better understand the U.S. in order to be better able
to explain Moroccan views on issues; and because continued
dialogue is a way to further strengthen already strong
U.S.-Moroccan relations.


5. (SBU) Othmani expressed, however the PJD's recent
"disappointment" with American foreign policy and the double
standard he said had been used at the expense of the

Arab/Islamic world. The conference was intended to
demonstrate that the U.S. is not a monolithic entity, but
rather hosts different lobbies and pressure groups which
Morocco needed to identify in order to engender further
support for Moroccan causes. Using the Sahara as an example,
Othmani said that Morocco had had to work to rally "friends"
and garner official support in the U.S. in an effort to seek
a solution. While the PJD is opposed to many of America's
foreign policies, Othmani stressed the need for opening
channels of dialogue to improve mutual comprehension.

Western Sahara: U.S. and Moroccan Diplomacy
--------------

6. (SBU) According to Al-Tajdid, the conference was highly
critical of Moroccan diplomacy's efforts in the U.S. on the
issue of the Western Sahara, charging a general ignorance
about the nature and mechanics of American decision-making.
John Damis asserted that the USG does not have a preferred
solution to the dispute because the U.S. does not have a
direct interest in the Sahara, but supports the parties in
direct negotiations. He said that the USG also does not have
an interest in playing the role of mediator. Former Moroccan
Ambassador to the U.K. Khalil Haddaoui questioned the benefit
to Morocco of its "supposed friendship" with the U.S. and
characterized the role that James Baker played as UNSYG's
Personal Envoy on the Western Sahara as a "disaster" for
Morocco.


7. (SBU) Mustapha El Khalfi, a PJD member currently in the
U.S. on a Fulbright scholarship, who described the role that
lobbies play in Congress, was highly critical of Moroccan
diplomatic efforts in the U.S. He noted that the Polisario
were much better at lobbying Congress, the most important
points of entry being the House Subcommittee on Africa and
the House Ways and Means Committee. He described that of the
100,000 Moroccans resident in the U.S., fifty-seven percent
have American nationality which can be used as leverage with
Congress. El Khalfi asserted that if the Western Sahara
issue is not resolved within Congress, it will not be
resolved. He ultimately described the decision-making
process in the U.S. as a "jungle," in which Morocco must
struggle to survive. While appreciating the in-depth focus
on American decision-making during the conference, some
observers, drawing attention to the empty seat on the dais
meant for the MFA representative, wondered aloud how Moroccan
policy decisions were made. "We've learned a lot about how
decisions are made in the US, but don't know how the
important decisions are made in our country," remarked one
member of the audience.

US Intervention Emphasizes Exchange, Engagement
-------------- --

8. (SBU) In his fifteen-minute prepared remarks, Polcouns
dwelt on the theme of partnership, emphasizing how shared
interests and values underpin U.S. policy toward Morocco.
Countering ideas expressed earlier, Polcouns stressed that
the U.S. was not seeking to impose its own vision of
democracy on Morocco, but rather supporting Morocco's own
efforts to promote reform and democracy. He sought to
un-demonize the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI),
which had been depicted by a previous American speaker as an
instrument of American political and cultural hegemony in the
region. Polcouns said that Morocco, MEPI -- and by extension
the American people -- sought to make a difference in
people's lives. Polcouns applauded the fact there was a
debate about MEPI in Morocco -- that was healthy, he said.
But he noted that while some organizations were boycotting
MEPI, women's NGOs in Oujda and Zagora, for example, were
coming forward on their own to apply for and receive U.S.
funding for their efforts to better the lives of women in
their locales.


9. (SBU) On the Western Sahara, tempering the impression of
U.S. disengagement created by Professor Damis, Polcouns said
the U.S. was eager for a resolution of the conflict, and
noted that its continuation had a dampening effect on the
political and economic potential of the Maghreb. As signs of
U.S. engagement, the U.S. supported MINURSO, and until 2003
had troops stationed in the peacekeeping contingent; funded
confidence-building measures between the two sides; and in
August 2005 had facilitated the release of the last Moroccan
POWs held by the Polisario.


10. (SBU) Polcouns also highlighted people-to-people contact
as an important aspect of foreign policy as demonstrated by
the U.S. Embassy's work in Morocco. The sister-city
partnership between Chicago and Casablanca, for example, was
blossoming, bringing together artists, musicians,
businesspeople, and local officials from both cities. The
U.S. sponsored an array of cultural activities in Morocco,
such as musical events and basketball clinics. The U.S.
military was not just about "blowing up things," Polcouns
said; in Morocco, the U.S. military had built schools and
dormitories for girls in rural areas.


11. (SBU) Concluding, Polcouns said he hoped the audience
took one important message from the two-day conference: not
to fall into easy, oversimplified depictions of the U.S. or
how our foreign policy is made. Alluding to Cantori's
description of U.S. Middle East policy as a cabal between a
few powerful individuals and the Jewish lobby, Polcouns
stressed the array of actors representing a complex mix of
voices and powers -- Congress, think-tanks, lobby groups --
that influence the foreign policy process. Polcouns stressed
the importance of open fora such as the conference provided,
which brought together experts, practitioners and interested
observers. Polcouns concluded by stressing the importance of
getting news and information about the U.S. from a variety of
sources and above all of visiting the U.S. as there was no
substitute for direct experience and contact.

Free Trade Agreement Primary Focus
--------------

12. (SBU) Following PolCouns' intervention on U.S.-Moroccan
relations, both panel participants and observers focused on
the recently implemented U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement
(FTA). PJD Parliamentarian Abdelkader Amara charged that in
concluding the FTA, the U.S. had "imposed" its agenda and its
interests on Morocco. He alleged that the Moroccans had not
had the opportunity to conduct an impact study and were not
expert negotiators. As a result, the U.S. had achieved an
agreement which would exploit the limited capacity of Morocco
and overwhelm its agricultural sector. Amara also charged
that the accord was based purely on "political" concerns, and
not grounded in sound economic principles.

US Efforts Evaluated
--------------

13. (SBU) During the question and answer session, several
participants raised questions about American credibility and
focus in the region. One observers stressed that Morocco's
prerogatives in the Western Sahara overrode U.S. humanitarian
and cultural activities in Morocco. "We don't want your
basketball clinics," he said. "We want your support on the
Western Sahara." Another participant, a human rights
activist from Meknes, expressed appreciation for U.S. efforts
and programs to strengthen democracy and human rights in
Morocco. But he said American torture at Guantanamo and
elsewhere undermined the effectiveness of U.S. democracy
promotion as well as the effort of Moroccan human rights
activists eager to work with the U.S.

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

14. (C) Emboffs attending the conference assessed it as
well-organized and characterized less by the rhetoric
typically inherent when discussing such issues as American
foreign policy in the Arab/Islamic world. Indeed, many PJD
members, including panel participants, praised PolCouns as
being "courageous" for coming to participate and present the
USG point of view. While the conference provided a starting
point to deepen the dialogue and understanding, PJD SYG
Othmani's upcoming visit to the U.S., his first ever, will be
an important means for demonstrating up close and personal
how U.S. foreign policy is made. End comment.
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Riley