WESTERN SAHARA: INVITATIONS DELIVERED TO MOROCCO

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000225 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2017 TAGS: PREL UNSC MO AG SUBJECT: WESTERN SAHARA: INVITATIONS DELIVERED TO MOROCCO AND THE P0LISARIO REF: (A) STATE 33377 (B) USUN 0192 Classified By: Classified by Amb. Jackie W. Sanders. E.O 12958. Reasons 1.4 (B&D). ¶1. (C) USUN delivered reftel invitation to the Moroccan Mission to the UN March 19 and are awaiting a response. We were unable to deliver the same invitation to Polisario Front Representative Ahmed Boukhari until March 20 as he would not accept the invitation without permission from Secretary-General Abdelaziz, which permission he received SIPDIS today. He said he would transmit both the invitation and our reftel talking point remarks to the Polisario leadership. ¶2. (C) Boukhari offered a pointed summary of Polisario perceptions that will inform its formal response to our invitation: (1) that the Algerian Government has informed the Polisario that the American ambassador in Algiers has indicated that the USG believes the Western Sahara has no right to statehood because it could become a terrorist training ground; (2) that the USG is no longer an honest broker after abandoning the Baker process in favor of making Western Sahara policy bilaterally with Morocco rather than within the Security Council; (3) that the only suggested agenda item for the proposed meeting is the Moroccan proposal; and (4) "if the Polisario doesn't fall into this trap, we will be punished." We urged Mr. Boukhari to try to persuade Polisario leaders that they should not obstruct dialogue. WOLFF