AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH ISTIQLAL PARTY LEADER

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000718

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/MAG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2016
TAGS: MO PBTS PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH ISTIQLAL PARTY LEADER

REF: A. 04 RABAT 01986


B. RABAT 308

C. RABAT 663 AND PREVIOUS

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


1. (C) SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION: The Ambassador met April 4
with Istiqlal party leader and Minister of State Abbas El
Fassi at his residence over lunch. The Ambassador was
accompanied by Polcouns, Poloff (notetaker),and PolLES,
while El Fassi was joined by Istiqlal Upper House Caucus
Leader and Executive Committee member Abdelhaq Tazi,
Executive Committee member and former Minister of
Communications and Moroccan Ambassador to Brazil Larbi
Messari, Executive Committee member Nizar Baraka, and
Minister of Public Works and Transport Karim Ghellab. This
is the third in a round of calls the Ambassador is making on
political party leaders to discuss party proposals for a
Western Sahara autonomy plan, the impact of the recently
passed political party law, and party plans for the 2007
legislative elections. On the Western Sahara, El Fassi said
as a last option it may be necessary for Morocco to move
forward with implementing autonomy, even if all parties have
not negotiated a final solution. Commenting on CORCAS's role
in the consultation process, he explained that the council in
his opinion represents the views of Sahrawi tribes, not the
direct views of the people. He added that the manner in
which members were selected, not elected, to CORCAS will
result in some contesting the process. El Fassi said
Istiqlal is looking forward to the 2007 legislative
elections, and is in the process of focusing its efforts to
gain votes from the Moroccan population living abroad.
Commenting on the recently published IRI poll on Moroccan
political parties, El Fassi said the poll was "surprising"
and "an event" for Morocco, but claimed that Istiqlal was not
worried about the results, which projected the Islamist PJD
as the leading political party. Clearly concerned that such
a poll had been released, he added that the Moroccan
population may interpret the polls results as implicit
support from the U.S. for the PJD. END SUMMARY AND
INTRODUCTION.

Autonomy: Possible Next Steps
--------------


2. (C) Responding to the Ambassador's inquiry, El Fassi, who
visited the Western Sahara in March, explained that Istiqlal,
in collaboration with the Socialist Union of Popular Forces
(USFP) and the Socialism and Progress Party (PPS),submitted
recently to the Palace a joint memorandum on autonomy for
consideration. While not providing many details on the
contents of Istiqlal's proposal, El Fassi noted that the plan
supported the key principles of the palace. Regarding the
likelihood of a final solution to the Western Sahara
conflict, El Fassi said Istiqlal believes at a certain point,
and as a last option, it will be necessary for Morocco to
move forward on implementing autonomy for the Western Sahara,
even if this means doing so unilaterally, without a
negotiated solution by all parties. The conflict has gone on
for too long, could not continue indefinitely, and has drawn
on many of Morocco's resources, he explained. Moreover, he
said, it was clear the King had no intention of ceding any
territory from the Sahara. El Fassi also commented that
Istiqlal's "strong" relationship with the U.S. is a strategic
decision on Istiqlal's part.


3. (C) On the Royal Consultative Council for Sahrawi Affairs
(CORCAS),El Fassi and the other Istiqlal members appeared to
be supportive of the council's establishment and optimistic
on the role CORCAS can play in the consultation process. El
Fassi, however, noted that CORCAS in his analysis is a
council that in essence represents the views of Sahrawi
tribes, and not the direct views of the people. When asked
if differing views on autonomy, including those opposed to
autonomy, are represented on the council, El Fassi argued
that CORCAS represents a wide range of different perspectives
on autonomy -- of women, youth, NGOs -- because the members
were "well-chosen." On this note, El Fassi acknowledged that
by the very nature of the selection process for CORCAS
members, (i.e. being selected, not elected) there will be
people who will contest this process.

Istiqlal Preparing For 2007 Elections
--------------


4. (C) El Fassi said Istiqlal is looking forward to the
elections, noting the party has 220,000 loyal supporters whom
they can count on come election time. However, El Fassi said
there is always a "but" and in this case the "but" is that
Istiqlal would like legislation to move through the
government more quickly. He gave the example of a 1993
legislation on national heritage that is still "blocked" by
the government. El Fassi noted that situations where the
government has blocked legislation has decreased considerably
since King Mohamed VI has taken the throne. Morocco is a
"work in progress," but moving in the right direction, he
said.


5. (C) While on the topic of the 2007 elections and in a
likely jab at the PJD, El Fassi expressed Istiqlal's
sentiments towards the Islamist party, saying it is
impossible for a credible political party to be both
"American" and "anti-American" at the same time. He
explained, however, that Istiqlal has always enjoyed friendly
relations with other political parties, including the PJD.
He said the party does not have friendly relations with
parties that do not have autonomy over their own actions. As
an example, El Fassi claimed that the Berber Popular Movement
(MP) party (now part of the Popular Movement Union (UMP)
party) was created by the Palace in 1977 to counter the
growing influence of the Istiqlal party. El Fassi reiterated
that Istiqlal will not deal with political parties that "do
not make their own decisions."


6. (C) El Fassi also confirmed that Istiqlal is in the
process of establishing branch offices overseas with an eye
towards the 2007 elections. According to El Fassi, Istiqlal
has or will soon have offices in Paris, Rome, Madrid, and
Brussels. These offices will help spread Istiqlal's message
to the Moroccan communities in each respective city, but will
also serve as a base from which Istiqlal can attract
potential supporters for the 2007 elections, he said. (Note:
the 2007 elections will offer the first opportunity for
overseas Moroccans to vote, per an announcement by the King
in late 2005).

Political Party Law Unlikely To Bring Change
--------------


7. (C) On the recent passage of the political party law, El
Fassi expressed Istiqlal's support for the new law. According
to El Fassi, the new law is "good" because it prohibits
parties from being based on religious, regional, or ethnic
allegiances. He noted, however, that the new law is unlikely
to dramatically rearrange the political environment in
Morocco.

IRI poll: Results May Create Misperceptions
--------------


8. (C) Commenting on the recent International Republican
Institute (IRI) poll summaries of which appeared in the March
18 issue of Moroccan French-language weekly Le Journal (and
the subject of reftel B),El Fassi said that he, and
Istiqlal, found the poll "surprising" and somewhat of "an
event." He was clearly disturbed that such a poll, in a
country not accustomed to political party polls, had appeared
in the press. Conveying the opposite by raising the issue,
El Fassi said he was not disturbed by the results. He said
the poll was incorrect in forecasting a greater degree of
popularity for the PJD; Istiqlal is the most popular party in
Morocco, El Fassi said. According to El Fassi, polls are
probably used in Morocco as indicators of public mood, most
likely by parts of the government, but the results are never
made public. He noted Istiqlal's belief that the results of
the IRI poll "are nowhere close to the reality," while
expressing concerns that the poll lacked a scientific base.
In an effort to counter the polls results, El Fassi explained
that it was Istiqlal that was "the winner" of the 2003 local
elections. He added that Istiqlal's reach extends throughout
Morocco, covering both rural and urban areas, and as such the
party does not give much credence to the poll results.
According to El Fassi, when he speaks to rural constituents
there are usually 1,000-2,000 supporters in the crowd at each
event, noting that they stay throughout the speech
demonstrating their unwavering support for the Istiqlal party.


9. (C) El Fassi added that although Istiqlal is not

troubled by the IRI poll results, the Moroccan population may
react differently. El Fassi explained that the IRI poll
creates a certain "worry" because the previous polls (both
done by foreign NGOs) that appeared in the run up to the 1997
and 2002 legislative elections showed Istiqlal as the likely
front runner. It is surprising, he explained, that now a
poll done by the most powerful country shows PJD as the
likely winner. El Fassi expressed his party's concern that
the Moroccan population may interpret this as implicit
support by the U.S. for the PJD. People may think this is
what the international community wants, he said.
The Ambassador stressed that the poll was meant to be
internal and for IRI's use with political parties, and was
not meant for the publication in the Moroccan press. It was
not an official US poll nor should it be interpreted as such.

Istiqlal's Civil Society Efforts
--------------


10. (C) According to El Fassi, Istiqlal was the first
Moroccan political party to encourage the work of civil
society on a broad range of issues in Morocco. He explained
that Istiqlal has contributed to the creation of numerous
NGOs in Morocco, but insisted that despite Istiqlal's role in
their creation the NGOs are completely independent to create
and execute projects. He added that these NGOs have never
worked under the banner of the Istiqlal party. El Fassi gave
the example of the Moroccan Scout Organization, created in
the 1960s, that has contributed to the education of Moroccan
youth, but is not a tool the party uses to recruit new
members. El Fassi also expressed concerns that U.S. aid to
NGOs focuses too much on larger, more well-know NGOs, rather
than NGOs like the Moroccan Scout Organization.
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Riley