MFA DG BRIEFS DAS GRAY ON MOROCCAN PLANS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000981 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, IO/PKO, UNP E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2009 TAGS: MO PBTS PHUM PREL SUBJECT: MFA DG BRIEFS DAS GRAY ON MOROCCAN PLANS FOR WESTERN SAHARA TALKS Classified By: Classified by Ambassador Thomas T. Riley for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) NEA DAS Gordon Gray and Ambassador Riley met with MFA Director General Bilateral (P-equiv.) Youssef Amrani June 11, on the margins of the AFRICOM briefing (septel) to discuss the Western Sahara. Amrani asserted that Morocco was faithfully implementing the UN Security Council Resolution on the Western Sahara, and would negotiate without preconditions and in good faith. The GOM was determined that the discussions focus on substance as well as procedural issues. They wanted to set out their vision of how they propose to solve the problem. ¶2. (C) Amrani said the Moroccan negotiating team had left for New York that day, which he understood to be the same four that had long been involved in the issue: Interior Minister Benmoussa, Interior Minister-Delegate el-Himma, Minister Delegate of Foreign Affairs Fassi Fihri, and GED (intel) Chief Mansuri. They would meet SRSG Van Walsum June 12 and looked forward to going to Washington on June 15. Noting that he knew and respected the announced members of the Algerian delegation, Amrani said Morocco favored direct participation by Algeria and Mauritania in the talks, but not by the Friends. Gray said that we shared reluctance to have all the Friends participate, as it would complicate discussion. The USG would be happy to participate alone in its role as Friends chair, if desired, in the unlikely event it could be agreed at the UN. ¶3. (C) Amrani repeated oft-heard GOM disappointment with the cancellation of Van Walsum's visit here and his scheduled meeting with the King; he ascribed the change in plans to the Algerian refusal to meet the SRSG and to POLISARIO insistence that Abdel Aziz would only be available in Tifarity. Morocco kept quiet, he said, but wanted the UN to include this in the SYG's next report to the Security Council. Gray underscored that the USG had not asked Van Walsum to cancel his trip, but had told him that UNSC members had expected that the parties would meet before the report to the council by June 30. The USG was satisfied with how things were moving forward and shared a desire for progress in the talks. ¶4. (U) DAS Gray has cleared this cable. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** RILEY