MOROCCO WILL NOT CONTRIBUTE TO PEACEKEEPING IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000291 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2017 TAGS: PREL MOPS KPKO MO SUBJECT: MOROCCO WILL NOT CONTRIBUTE TO PEACEKEEPING IN DARFUR, SOMALIA REF: A. STATE 11993 ¶B. STATE 11794 Classified by Polcouns Craig Karp for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) In a February 6 meeting with MFA Director General for Arab and Islamic Affairs Mohammed Azeroual, Polcouns urged Moroccan support for international peacekeeping forces being assembled for Darfur and Somalia. Azeroual responded that while Morocco was concerned about the situation in both places, the Kingdom's absence from African Union fora (due to the AU's recognition of separatist claims on Western Sahara) precluded its participation in the PKO's. ¶2. (C) Azeroual underscored concern about Ethiopian presence in Somalia, recalling the Ogaden war fought between Ethiopia and Somalia. He did not repeat an earlier suggestion that after stability was restored Morocco might be in a position to offer limited technical assistance. Azeroual also recalled Morocco's "unhappy" peacekeeping experience in Somalia in the early 1990's, when it suffered military personnel losses. ¶3. (C) In an earlier conversation about Sudan, MFA Arab Bilateral Affairs Office Director Mekki Gouane told polcouns that Morocco would adhere to the Arab League consensus on Sudan, and opined that international guarantees about Sudan's territorial integrity might help break the impasse in international negotiations with Khartoum, a point made to us earlier by Azeroual. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** Bush