NATO/MOROCCO: ICP PROSPECTS DIMMED BY GOM CONCERNS

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 001730 SIPDIS SIPDIS USNATO FOR JOSE SANTACANA E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2017 TAGS: KPKO MARR MO NATO PGOV SUBJECT: NATO/MOROCCO: ICP PROSPECTS DIMMED BY GOM CONCERNS Classified By: Classified by Charge d'Affairs Robert P. Jackson for rea sons 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- Summary: -------------- ¶1. (C) Turkish polcouns Turker Ari on November 8 told us during a meeting concerning the possibility of Morocco entering into a NATO Individual Cooperation Program (ICP) that MFA Director General Youssef Amrani expressed support for the idea of increased alliance cooperation, but made clear his unhappiness at NATO's poor follow-through on existing promises of support and training. Other contacts at the Ministry of Defense (MOD) grumbled to Ari over NATO's "unreasonable" request that the GOM shoulder a large share of the costs for an upcoming NATO-proposed public diplomacy conference in Rabat. Ari suggested USNATO (in conjunction with other member missions) encourage the NATO Secretariat to be more responsive to GOM information requests and fulfill standing support commitments. End Comment. -------------- Background -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Ari said that in June and September respectively, Israel and Egypt signed ICP agreements with NATO formalizing their military and political relationships with the alliance as part of its Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) initiative. The MD working group, made of member nation representatives at NATO headquarters, would like to expand the number of countries with ICPs and is focusing specifically on Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Morocco has engaged with NATO at several levels, including providing troops to SFOR in the Balkans, hosting NATO conferences in Rabat and participating in Operation Active Endeavor, NATO's maritime counter-terrorism effort. Poloffs met with to discuss strategies for formulating a NATO Individual Cooperation Program (ICP) agreement with the Government of Morocco (GOM). -------------- Why us? -------------- ¶3. (C) In a November 8 meeting in his office, Turkish Polcouns Turker Ari told poloffs that he and his Ambassador, in Turkey's capacity as NATO contact mission, demarched Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Ambassador Youssef Amrani on this issue on November 1 and presented a NATO generated shopping list of points. Amrani said that Morocco has no desire to "be an example" and certainly does not want to be considered in the same light as Egypt. Morocco has hosted two major NATO and MD conferences, and is welcoming a public diplomacy conference in November 2007. He asked NATO, through Ari, to "shine the spotlight" elsewhere. -------------- The relationship so far is a one way street -------------- ¶4. (C) Part of the NATO-generated shopping list Ari had presented to Amrani included a request for a political declaration by the MD countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia). Amrani expressed amazement at the request since he had offered to lead a similar effort a few years ago but was told by NATO to "not be so ambitious" and to allow the alliance to solidify the MD's position. Further, Morocco signed a cooperation agreement in 2005 with the alliance in which Brussels committed to provide certain equipment and training. Amrani said that no concrete steps have materialized. Both Amrani and Ari's contacts at the MOD told him that the lists of clarification questions they sent to NATO headquarters have gone unanswered, some for as long as a year. The Turks' MOD interlocutors also were unhappy that NATO was asking the GOM to shoulder a large portion of the logistical costs for the November public diplomacy conference, despite the fact that the GOM did not initiate it and were under the impression that a similar conference in Egypt had been fully funded by NATO. -------------- NATO's maps an issue -------------- ¶5. (C) This same MOD contact told Ari in confidence that NATO's official maps are also of deep concern since they depict Western Sahara in a different color than Morocco proper. The GOM is uncomfortable with the thought of such maps being prominently displayed and used in official briefings at the November conference in Rabat - particularly when Morocco and the Polisario are in the middle of their negotiation process. The contact did not ask NATO to change the maps, just that it be sensitive to the GOM's concerns and perhaps use neutrally colored public domain maps during the conference. -------------- Comment: -------------- ¶6. (C) Ari felt that Morocco is still committed to the idea of cooperation with NATO, but that the growing relationship needs a bit more reciprocity and respect from Brussels. Morocco is seeing a lot of demands and requests for partnership (many of which it has fulfilled by sending troops and resources) but little in return. Post concurs with Ari that it will be difficult to move forward on MD issues, including the IPC, unless the NATO Secretariat reaches a better understanding with the GOM to clear the information and material backlog. NATO's financial help to the GOM for the November public diplomacy conference would also be helpful. At a minimum, the GOM's clarification questions should be answered as soon as possible. Recommend USNATO consult the Turkish Mission on next steps. End comment. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ***************************************** Jackson