DEMARCHE DELIVERED: ADVANCING THE DEMOCRACY AGENDA

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 001731

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

S/SO PLS TRANSMIT TO
COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES COLLECTIVE
COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES OBSERVERS COLLECTIVE
STATE FOR G, DRL/FO, DRL/MLGA, AND NEA/MAG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2017
TAGS: PHUM KDEM PREL UNGA MO
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: ADVANCING THE DEMOCRACY AGENDA
AT THE 4TH COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES MINISTERIAL IN BAMAKO,
MALI, NOVEMBER 14-17, 2007

REF: REF: STATE 151024

Classified By: DCM Robert P. Jackson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: On November 8, Charge delivered reftel
demarche to the GOM MFA General Director of Bilateral
Relations Youssef Amrani. Amrani said the GOM, and he
personally, remained very supportive of the Community of
Democracies (CD). However, he was concerned about any panel
discussions linking Islam and democracy, not wanting Islam to
be singled out. Amrani insisted that "religion" be used
instead of "Islam" to avoid controversy. Amrani agreed with
the Charge on the importance of NGOs, the complimentary
nature of religion and democracy, and the need for the CD to
work more closely with the UN. The GOM intends to provide a
panel discussion on international election observers at the
meeting. End summary.


2. (C) On November 8, Charge delivered reftel demarche
concerning the advancement of democracy agenda at the 4th
Community of Democracies Ministerial being held in Bamako,
Mali (November 14-17) to the GOM Ministry of Foreign Affairs
General Director Youssef Amrani. Charge inquired about the
makeup of the Moroccan delegation and underscored the two
main strengths the U.S. recognized that Morocco would bring
to the Ministerial: concrete proposals to promote democracy
and support to non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Charge
also underscored the complementarities of religion and
democracy and tabled the idea of having the CD work more
closely with the United Nations (UN). The Charge then passed
Amrani a non-paper covering all the reftel points.


3. (C) Amrani commented on the strong working relationship
between the GOM and the U.S. Government and his desire to see
that relationship flourish. Amrani said that he would attend
the meeting in Bamako and that a Minister would as well.
Amrani said that the GOM was considering a "best practices"
panel discussion on international election observers,
underscoring Morocco's positive experience with such
observers in recent parliamentary elections. Amrani said
that he agreed with the U.S. emphasis on inclusion of NGOs in
CD discussions, citing Morocco's past work in this area and
expressing the need for more. While underscoring the
importance of NGOs in the democracy process, Amrani added
that there is a need to insure that NGOs are credible and
representative of multiple constituencies and regions.


4. (C) Amrani agreed with the Charge's points about the
complementary nature of religion and democracy and its place
in CD discussions. However, adding a strong word of caution,
Amrani said that any panel discussion on this topic must not
include "Islam" in the title. He underscored that any
singling out of Islam vice other faiths (e.g., "The
Compatibility of Islam and Democracy") would be
counterproductive and interpreted by some as unduly biased,
or even insulting, to Muslims. He recommended the use of
"religion" in this context (e.g., "The Compatibility of
Democracy and Religion") as it would refer to all religions
equally. Amrani fully concurred with increased dialogue
between the CD and the UN.


5. (C) Comment: Amrani is personally vested in the CD,
having participated before. We believe Morocco will be
anxious to showcase its region-leading democratic reforms,
such as the recent transparent parliamentary elections.
However, it will gloss over problems such as the low rate of
participation in the election. We can understand his
apprehensions about singling out the Islam-democracy link,
and credit his advocacy of a broader approach.


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Jackson