SPAIN FAVORS UN UMBRELLA FOR WESTERN SAHARA

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000536 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR/WE FOR GARY CLEMENTS AND ANGELA CERVETTI NEA/MAG FOR ROBERT EWING AND JAMES FLOWERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2017 TAGS: PREL PBTS UNSC SP WI SUBJECT: SPAIN FAVORS UN UMBRELLA FOR WESTERN SAHARA NEGOTIATIONS REF: A. STATE 35098 ¶B. NEA/MAG E-MAIL - 03/21/07 ¶C. MADRID 529 Classified By: DCM Hugo Llorens for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Poloff delivered ref. A demarche to MFA Deputy Director General for North Africa Manuel Gomez-Acebo on March 21, asking Spain to intervene with the Polisario Front (PF) and encourage them to agree to direct negotiations with Morocco under U.S. auspices at a neutral location. Poloff emphasized that the plan was a Moroccan effort and that the U.S. strongly encouraged the PF to accept this opportunity. Gomez-Acebo said he viewed this as a very interesting and positive development, adding that his only doubt was the lack of mention of the United Nations. He said Spain would like to see the negotiations take place under a UN umbrella to provide international legitimacy/pressure and preserve UNSC principles of reference for a final solution. ¶2. (C) Gomez-Acebo asked about the timing of the negotiations - whether this was intended as a first step prior to Morocco's publication of the plan and the April expiration of the Minurso mandate. On U.S. support for the Moroccan plan in the event of PF inaction, he said he assumed this would be a public show of support in the UN. He also wished to clarify that the U.S. had not extended an invitation to Algeria. ¶3. (C) With respect to a likely response from the Polisario, Gomez-Acebo said that Spain's latest information indicated that the PF does not want to use the Moroccan autonomy plan as the "only basis for discussion," but that it would not discard out of hand the Moroccan plan. He said he would discuss the matter with Alvaro Iranzo, DG for the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa (currently in Cyprus) and Rafael Dezcallar, DG for Foreign Policy, and might also contact NEA DAS Gordon Gray (ref. B). ¶4. (C) Lastly, Gomez-Acebo repeated his statement (ref. C) that Spain is expecting to host UNSE Van Walsum in the near future (without specifying date) and was seeking to confirm a visit from the Polisario Front. -------------- Visit Embassy Madrid's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/madrid/ -------------- Aguirre