MOROCCO EXPRESSES SYMPATHY/SOLIDARITY WITH ALGERIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 001837

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2017
TAGS: MO
SUBJECT: MOROCCO EXPRESSES SYMPATHY/SOLIDARITY WITH ALGERIA
AFTER BLAST


Classified By: POLCOUNS Craig M. Karp for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) Widespread Moroccan media coverage of Tuesday's
bombings in Algiers noted King Mohamed VI's telephone call to
President Bouteflika, expressing personal condolence for the
tragedy. The King also made a public statement condemning
the bombings and expressing Morocco's sympathy and solidarity
with the Algerian people, adding that he "considered
Algeria,s security to be linked to the security of the
region." Other press reporting darkly harbingered Algeria's
reentry into an era of violence--alluding to the 1990s when
salafist jihadi violence in Algeria peaked.


2. (C) In Embassy follow-up calls to the MFA, Senior PM and
CT contact Karim Halim underscored the King's message of
solidarity with Algeria in combating terrorist threats but
demurred when asked if the event might provide an opening for
increased CT cooperation with Algeria. He stated that their
cooperation was good and that sufficient channels of
communication already existed.


3. (C) Comment: We assess that Morocco,s expressions of
solidarity with Algeria and view of terrorism as a common
regional threat as sincere. Even though this attack took
place in Algiers, Morocco likely views al-Qa,ida in the
Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)--the widely suspected
perpetrators of the attacks--as capable of launching, or at
least facilitating, similar attacks in Morocco, despite its
present inclination to concentrate its efforts in Algiers.




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Riley