MFA CRITICAL OF SYG'S WESTERN SAHARA ENVOY VAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001137 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA/MAG FOR ROBERT EWING E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/22/2017 TAGS: PGOV AG FR MO PGOV PREL SP UK WI UNSC SUBJECT: MFA CRITICAL OF SYG'S WESTERN SAHARA ENVOY VAN WALSUM REF: STATE 35098 PAGE 02 RUEHFRA1137 C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001137 CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL MINISTER-COUNSELOR JOSIAH ROSENBLATT, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: IN RESPONSE TO REFTEL DEMARCHE, THE MFA'S CHRISTIAN TESTO (DAS-EQUIVALENT FOR THE MAGHREB) AGREED THAT IT MADE SENSE TO PRESS FOR DIRECT MOROCCAN/POLISARIO TALKS. HE WAS CRITICAL OF PETER VAN WALSUM, THE UN SYG'S PERSONAL ENVOY FOR THE WESTERN SAHARA. TURNING TO UNSC DYNAMICS, HE EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER SOUTH AFRICA'S SUPPORT FOR THE ALGERIAN LINE ON THE WESTERN SAHARA CONFLICT, AND UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE UK AND RUSSIAN POSITIONS. HE SAID IT WOULD BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE FOR FRANCE TO TRY TO BUILD A COMMON EU POSITION ON THE QUESTION. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) POLOFF SHARED REFTEL DEMARCHE ON MARCH 22 WITH CHRISTIAN TESTO, MFA DAS-EQUIVALENT FOR THE MAGHREB AND TUDOR ALEXIS, DESK OFFICER FOR MOROCCO. TESTO AGREED THAT IT MADE SENSE TO PRESS FOR DIRECT CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN MOROCCO AND THE POLISARIO BEFORE THE MOROCCANS FORMALLY PRESENT THEIR PAGE 03 RUEHFRA1137 C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001137 AUTONOMY PLAN TO THE UNSC, WHETHER OR NOT THE POLISARIO ACCEPTS THE INVITATION. HE ASKED TO BE APPRISED OF THE POLISARIO RESPONSE. ¶3. (C) TESTO WAS SHARPLY CRITICAL OF PETER VAN WALSUM, THE SYG'S PERSONAL ENVOY FOR THE WESTERN SAHARA. DURING VAN WALSUMS VISIT TO PARIS IN EARLY MARCH (WHICH, TO THE QUAIS DISMAY, WAS NOT FOLLOWED BY VISITS TO EITHER SPAIN OR MOROCCO),TESTO FOUND HIM SURPRISINGLY UNINFORMED ABOUT HIS BRIEF AND OBLIVIOUS TO THE POLITICAL EQUITIES AT PLAY. "HE HAS A FUNNY WAY OF DOING HIS JOB . . . HE HAS NOT BEEN FOLLOWING HIS (WESTERN SAHARA) DOSSIER VERY CLOSELY, AND HE THINKS NOTHING HAS CHANGED. HE HAS NO SENSE OF THE POLITICAL RISK THAT THE KING (MOHAMED VI) HAS TAKEN, AND HAS NOT EVEN REALIZED THAT FOR ALGERIA THE WESTERN SAHARA IS A MERE POLITICAL CARD TO PLAY, WHEREAS FOR THE MOROCCANS IT IS A VITAL STRATEGIC ISSUE WITH DIRECT REPERCUSSIONS ON NATIONAL STABILITY," TESTO SAID DISPARAGINGLY. ¶4. (C) TESTO SAID THAT DUE TO THIS LACK OF VISION, VAN WALSUM IS ADVISING SYG BAN KI MOON TO REMAIN "NEUTRAL" AND TO AVOID PAGE 04 RUEHFRA1137 C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001137 ANY ENDORSEMENT OF THE MOROCCAN AUTONOMY PLAN. "I TRIED TO IMPRESS UPON HIM THAT THE MOROCCAN PLAN REPRESENTS THE FIRST REAL MOVEMENT ON THIS ISSUE IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, AND THAT SPAIN AND FRANCE ARE NOW -- FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER -- ON THE SAME LINE ABOUT THE WESTERN SAHARA, BUT HE WOULDN'T BUDGE," TESTO LAMENTED. HE ADDED: "WE'LL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT VAN WALSUM PUBLICLY BECAUSE HE'S THE SYG'S REPRESENTATIVE, BUT HE'S A PROBLEM." ¶5. (C) TURNING TO THE UNSC DYNAMICS, TESTO SAID HE WAS CONCERNED BY THE SOUTH AFRICANS, WHO HAVE "ADOPTED 100 PERCENT" THE ALGERIAN POSITION. HE ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE BRITISH AND RUSSIAN POSITIONS ON THE WESTERN SAHARA, WHICH HE CHARACTERIZED AS "AMBIGUOUS." ¶6. (C) TESTO SAID THAT FRANCE HAD NO INTENTION OF TRYING TO BUILD AN EU CONSENSUS IN SUPPORT OF THE MOROCCAN PLAN. "IN BRUSSELS, THEY ARE EVEN WORSE ON THIS QUESTION THAN VAN WALSUM . . . THE NORDIC COUNTRIES KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE WESTERN SAHARA, AND IF YOU TRY TO EXPLAIN IT TO THEM THEY SEE PAGE 05 RUEHFRA1137 C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001137 IT ONLY AS A QUESTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND SELF-DETERMINATION. THEY'RE VERY RIGID, SO IT'S BETTER NOT TO ENGAGE WITH THEM AT ALL AND INSTEAD FOCUS ON THE SECURITY COUNCIL." AS FOR THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION, TESTO UNDERSCORED THE QUAI'S BELIEF THAT THE SAHRAWIS CAN ADEQUATELY EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION VIA A REFERENDUM THAT OFFERS THEM AN UP-OR-DOWN VOTE ON THE MOROCCAN AUTONOMY PLAN, WITHOUT OFFERING THEM A SEPARATE OPTION OF VOTING FOR INDEPENDENCE. "IF THEY VOTE YES, THEN THEY'VE EXERCISED THEIR RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION, AND IF THEY VOTE NO, THEN WE CAN GO FROM THERE," HE SAID. PLEASE VISIT PARIS' CLASSIFIED WEBSITE AT: HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/EUR/PARIS/INDEX.C FM STAPLETON