A MODERATE ISLAMIST MAYOR - THE PJD IN MEKNES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 000638

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2017
TAGS: KISL PGOV MO
SUBJECT: A MODERATE ISLAMIST MAYOR - THE PJD IN MEKNES

Classified by Political Counselor Craig Karp for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Abu Bakr Belkora, the moderate Islamist mayor
of Meknes, told poloff he was wrestling with poverty and
governance issues during an April 10 visit to the city.
Meknes is Morocco's sixth largest city and the largest local
government controlled by the (moderate Islamist) Party of
Justice and Development (PJD). In a subsequent lunch, the
mayor and other local PJD notables candidly discussed sharp
divisions within the party over whether it should join a
governing coalition after the September elections. They
assailed U.S. policy in the region, but emphasized that they
relish contact with the USG. They strongly condemned
terrorism in the region but linked it to anger over "unjust"
U.S. policies. End summary.


2. (C) Abu Bakr Belkora has served as mayor of Meknes since

2003. Meknes, about 130 KM west of Rabat, is Morocco's sixth
largest city and was the seat of the Kingdom in the 18th
century. Meknes is the largest city controlled by the
(moderate Islamist) Party of Justice and Development.
Belkora expressed frustration that the political
"balkanization" which hobbles governance at the national
level is also reflected in the Meknes city government: 12
different parties are represented in the city council, six of
which sit with the ruling coalition (led by the PJD) and six
of which are in opposition.

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Poverty is Enemy Number One
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3. (C) Belkora identified poverty as the greatest challenge
facing the city, observing that a seemingly endless influx of
economic migrants from the impoverished surrounding
countryside kept the city's infrastructure and services
constantly strained to the breaking point. Belkora recalled
that during a 2004 visit to the city by the King, Belkora
asked him if he knew that Meknes was one of Morocco's poorest
major cities. When the King replied affirmatively, Belkora
told him that Meknes could be one of the wealthiest, if the
government pursued a better rural development policy.


4. (C) Belkora lamented that Morocco continues to allow
billions of cubic meters of fresh water to flow into the sea
even as farmers get barely enough rain to yield an adequate
harvest. Cost-effective damming and irrigation could
transform the rural economy in the Meknes area and elsewhere
in the country, which would ultimately address the problem of
urban poverty in Morocco, he asserted. "I am working to get
people to move from the city back to the countryside," he
stated. Unfortunately, Belkora maintained, his ideas have so
far fallen on deaf ears at concerned GOM ministries, where
leaders are preoccupied with pursuing their own narrow
interests, he charged.

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PJD Split on Whether to Govern
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5. (C) Consistent with other PJD interlocutors, Belkora told
poloff that he expected the party to increase its presence in
parliament from its current 42 seats (out of 325) to 60 or
possibly 80 seats after this September's elections. Belkora
conceded that there was a strong debate within the PJD over
whether it should join with other parties to form a governing
coalition after the elections, underscoring that he was
firmly opposed. "We will be unable to achieve anything in
the current context... We will lose credibility with the
people."


6. (C) Belkora's deputy mayor (also PJD) and a PJD member of
parliament for Meknes who joined Belkora and poloff for
lunch, also shared the view that the PJD would be better
served by remaining in the opposition. The government is on
two tracks - one track answers to the Prime Minister, but the
other track answers only to the Palace, and this is the track
with the real authority, they maintained. Until the
government can be restructured through legal and
constitutional reform, the Prime Minister and his government
will not have real power to effect change, and we should stay
out of it, they contended.

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Assailing (and Courting) the USG
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7. (C) At a lunch following the discussion in the mayor's
office, Belkora and PJD colleagues lashed out at the U.S. for
its policies in the Middle East and Afghanistan. "These
policies nourish terror and extremism in our region," they

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claimed. They hastened to add that there was no
justification for terror, but anger toward U.S. policy helped
explain where the violence came from. PJD MP Abdullah
Benanou expressed particular bile toward the U.S. approach to
Palestine, alleging U.S. hypocrisy in preaching democracy and
then punishing the Palestinian people for electing a
government not to Washington's liking.


8. (C) Poloff countered that the U.S. had not questioned the
legitimacy of Hamas' election but neither was it obligated to
deal with a group that practiced terrorism and ruled out
peace with Israel, refusing to be bound by earlier
agreements. Benanou discounted the argument, pointing to
Hamas' maintenance of a multi-year cease-fire as evidence
that they were ready to make a deal, but Israel is not
willing. On Iraq, the group focused on the "illegitimate
origins" of the conflict but conceded that a precipitous U.S.
withdrawal could worsen the situation. The group urged USG
revision of policies, particularly its "unconditional support
for Israeli aggression."


9. (C) Despite their sharp critique of U.S. policies in the
region, Belkora and PJD colleagues professed admiration for
U.S. society and U.S. achievements in many fields. They said
they welcomed contact with the U.S. Embassy and placed a high
value on continuous dialogue, which they hoped would lead to
closer cooperation in the future. They were eager to know
about "U.S. policy toward the PJD." Poloff responded that
the U.S. neither supported nor opposed the PJD and was
prepared to talk to any and all peaceful political movements
in Morocco. The U.S. took note of the PJD's significant role
in the nation's politics and respected the right of the
Moroccan people to elect their representatives.

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Days of Wine Numbered?
--------------


10. (C) Ironically, though Meknes is run by an elected
Islamist local government, it is also the center of the
Moroccan wine industry and the city is reputed to have more
bars per capita than any other town in the country. Asked
about the seeming contradiction, Belkora responded that he
does not believe in a confrontational approach to such
issues. He said that Meknes wine tycoon Brahim Zniber is a
personal friend and regular lunch partner.


11. (C) In March, the two even traveled together to Nimes,
France to drum up investment in the Meknes region.
Nonetheless, Belkora made clear he does not approve of the
wine business. "I am trying to convince my friend Brahim
that he should gradually replace his grapes with olives.
There is no future for his product in this country." As for
Meknes' drinking establishments, he said "some of my brothers
are building mosques and some are building bars. It is much
better to build mosques." (Comment: Though he registered
disapproval of alcohol, Belkora did not come off as militant
on the issue, and did not suggest that he was looking to take
any specific action against this "vice." End comment.)


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