AMBASSADOR BOLTON'S MEETING WITH MOROCCAN PERMREP

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000401

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL UNSC AG MO WI
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR BOLTON'S MEETING WITH MOROCCAN PERMREP


1. (SBU) In a brief March 2 courtesy call on Ambassador
Bolton, recently arrived Moroccan Perm Rep El Mostafa SAHEL
said that Morocco's autonomy proposal for the Western Sahara
has been completed and that consultations between the
government of Morocco and Moroccan political parties were
scheduled to begin March 2. He said that the government
hoped to have an agreed document by the end of March.


2. (SBU) Sahel said that much of the impetus for this
proposal has come from King Mohamed VI, for whom economic and
political reform has been a priority and who views the
stalemate in the Western Sahara as a barrier to regional
economic and political development. He said that King
Mohamed wants a political solution that will provide the
region with stability and peace to allow the problems of
poverty, terrorism and illegal immigration to be addressed.
He said the proposal would provide "special treatment" for
the region. He said that Morocco only asked that the
proposal preserve Morocco's "integrity and sovereignty." He
said Morocco sought "to integrate, not disintegrate, the
country."


3. (SBU) Sahel said that Morocco is ready to negotiate.
That said, he suggested that Morocco needed "somebody" with
whom to discuss this proposal and needed friends to encourage
Algeria to be that partner. Of course, he said, the
Polisario could participate, but "everyone knew that Algeria
controlled the Polisario and that the Polisario does nothing
without Algeria." Sahel confessed to not really being able
to understand what Algeria wants. He said that he had spent
six hours speaking with Algerian President Bouteflika, during
which they became friends. But after the conversation Sahel
still did not know what Algeria sought from Morocco with
regard to the Western Sahara other than "time."


4. (SBU) Ambassador Bolton reviewed his background and
continuing interest in the Western Sahara, including his work
in IO when MINURSO was created and later with Personal Envoy
James Baker. He said the U.S. is looking forward to a
Moroccan "substantial proposal" that will change the
political atmosphere in a positive way, breaking the
negotiating deadlock of the last 15 years and solving a
problem that has been around for over three decades. Once
the proposal is ready to go, we will move from there. Sahel
said that he would update Ambassador Bolton as soon as any
news develops on the proposal.
BOLTON