BRIEFING MOROCCO ON AFRICOM

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 001046 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, EUCOM PLEASE PASS TO SOCEUR E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/2017 TAGS: MARR MO PTER PREL SUBJECT: BRIEFING MOROCCO ON AFRICOM REF: RABAT 965 Classified By: Classified by Ambassador Thomas T. Riley for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The visit of an interagency delegation headed by PDUSD Ryan Henry to Morocco June 11 to brief on AFRICOM helped reassure the government and provided the opportunity to alert the public to the proposed new command. The delegation briefed a GOM interagency group headed by MFA Director General of Bilateral Affairs Youssef Amrani. Amrani said Morocco remained a stalwart ally of the U.S. He advised the USG to proceed deliberately and cautiously, informing the public every step of the way. This could salve public apprehension, he said. Earlier, Amrani had told the Embassy that Morocco was not prepared now to host AFRICOM or any element thereof (reftel). He stressed at the briefing, however, that the GOM did want to be kept informed of our thinking. A press release by the delegation was extensively covered and while initial reaction was not broadly supportive, it helped clear the air on reported Moroccan willingness to host AFRICOM. End Summary ¶2. (C) Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Ryan Henry at the head of a diverse interagency delegation including PM Amb. Loftis, USAID Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa Walter North and NEA DAS Gordon Gray, joined by Ambassador Riley and Embassy staff. MFA Director General for Bilateral Affairs (P-equivalent) Youssef Amrani, was joined by Brigadier General Abdal-Jabbar Azzoui, number 2 at the DGED, the external security service. MFA participants included Americas Director Salahuddine Tazi, P/M and C/T Director Karim Halim, and various staff. Although the side members of the delegation were not introduced, there was no representative from the Africa directorate (their absence later confirmed). The delegation was briefed by Embassy Rabat Country team before proceeding to the MFA. ¶3. (C) Amrani began by noting there had recently been an increase in the number of high-level USG visits, which left the GOM feeling well-contacted. Morocco, happy with its designation as major non-NATO ally, in turn was committed to take actions to reinforce relations. It appreciated USG support for the reform agenda and for King Mohammed VI,s vision for a more democratic society. -------------- BRIEFING -------------- �0A; ¶4. (C) Henry began the briefing by noting that the USG sees Morocco as a partner He underscored that the USG was trying to consult with its friends on the continent before making decisions--which have not yet been made. Preliminary thinking was that AFRICOM, which should be on the continent by October 2008, would be dispersed and nodal. This was a headquarters effort and would not involve building bases or stationing military formations on the continent. Most important, the U.S. would not put anyone anywhere they were not wanted. AFRICOM would be an interagency effort, with State and USAID, in which the military would focus on civil action, humanitarian affairs and security cooperation, including building local capacities for stability operations. In sum, it would be focused on generating the conditions to maintain peace. We would be in touch with other allies, such as in Europe, and discuss the possibility of their participation. AFRICOM, he concluded, would provide a high-level policy advocate for Africa in DOD and USG policy councils. -------------- GOM REACTION -------------- ¶5. (C) Amrani said Morocco has significant ties with and experience in Africa. It had many diplomatic missions throughout the continent and had participated in peacekeeping in Somalia, Central Africa (DROC) and Cote d'Ivoire. The GOM believed the situation in Africa and in the Sahara in particular is a real threat to peace and stability. In addition to the well known conflicts in Somalia, Central Africa, and Darfur, the continent remains plagued with continuing widespread conflict between ethnic groups. The threat from terrorists using the ungovernable spaces in the Sahel had grown. It was also important to fight illegal migration, whose trafficking routes were also being used by terrorists to move people and supplies. The GOM was concerned about the rise of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). ¶6. (C) Africa remained a priority in the Moroccan foreign policy agenda and much needed to be done to stabilize the continent. In order to tackle the security problems we have to face grass roots problems. Priority must be given to durable development, reinforcing democracy, respect for human rights, and good governance. This involved the solidarity dimension, which included the broad range of international donors and multilateral agencies. ¶7. (C) Concerning AFRICOM, Amrani welcomed the USG initiative to explain its ideas about the command. It was important for the USG to go around and give governments its thinking on the issue, about which there has been much discussion. It was equally important to inform the public, and he praised the delegation's public relations efforts. He urged that the USG proceed slowly and cautiously in setting up AFRICOM, briefing the public every step of the way. He cited GOM efforts to explain Moroccan participation in NATO's Operation Active Endeavor. The government had been criticized for joining this effort, which put it in the same mission as Israel and Algeria. Patient explanation of the anti-terrorist mission and the terms of engagement have helped to quiet public concern. In closing, Amrani noted the need for any efforts to resolve conflict to remain in accord with international law. -------------- PRESS COVERAGE -------------- ¶8. (C) Press extensively covered the visit of the delegation and its press release stressing that the US has no plans to base AFRICOM in Africa. There was also widespread coverage of an MFA communiqu denying reports (sparked largely by a GAO report) that the GOM had offered to host AFRICOM Reaction was mixed. Arabic press was largely critical saying it was another invasion of the continent by the U.S. French language press was mixed, tending toward critical, but with some press noting the importance of collective security for the region. Pro-government press was careful not to comment, just reporting the delegation's press release. ¶9. (C) PDUSD Henry has cleared this message. ¶10. (U) Department may wish to repeat message to African Posts. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** RILEY