Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07USUNNEWYORK459
2007-06-08 15:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
USUN New York
Cable title:
DEMARCHE DELIVERED TO POLISARIO TO COME TO TALKS
how-toVZCZCXYZ0001 OO RUEHWEB DE RUCNDT #0459 1591557 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 081557Z JUN 07 FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2035 INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS IMMEDIATE 1277 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 1127 RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID IMMEDIATE 6228 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE 0977 RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT IMMEDIATE 0064 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS IMMEDIATE 1028 RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT IMMEDIATE 0909 RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA IMMEDIATE 0480 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 2725
C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000459
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC WI AG MO AF
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED TO POLISARIO TO COME TO TALKS
REF: STATE 74895
Classified By: Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad. E.O 12958. Reasons 1.4 (B&D).
C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000459
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC WI AG MO AF
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED TO POLISARIO TO COME TO TALKS
REF: STATE 74895
Classified By: Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad. E.O 12958. Reasons 1.4 (B&D).
1. (C) Ambassador Sanders delivered reftel demarche June 6 to
Polisario New York Rep Ahmed Boukhari, stressing the
importance of maintaining the momentum established by UNSCR
1754 and underscoring the expectation that the parties will
engage seriously and show flexibility as they work through
their differences. She urged the Polisario to enter the
dialogue with an open and positive attitude, adding that the
international community was watching and that the Polisario
should not risk the loss of credibility in the international
community by failing to engage.
2. (C) Boukhari, who had just returned the previous evening
from an extraordinary session of the Polisario leadership in
Tindouf, said that the Polisario had made a June 3 decision
to participate in the UN-sponsored talks and to do so
seriously, a point he subsequently repeated three more times.
He said the Polisario intended to send a high level
delegation -- the same one that took part in the negotiations
that led to the Houston Agreements concluded under the
auspices of former SYG Personal Envoy James Baker. The
delegation, the first members of which will be arriving in
New York as early as June 11, will include:
--(1) Mahfud ALI BEIBA (Del Head),former PM and current
President of Parliament, Political Leadership Member
--(2) Mohamed KHADAD, Political Leadership Member
--(3) Brahim GHALI, Political Leadership Member
--(4) Ahmed BOUKHARI (New York Rep),Political Leadership
Member
--(5) Bachir SEGAYER, Adviser, Former New York Rep
--(6) Omar Abdellahi SIDI MOHAMED, Adviser, Current London Rep
3. (C) Boukhari said the Polisario hope was that Morocco will
also enter the talks prepared to work seriously as well.
But, Boukhari said, recent Moroccan behavior at the UN
Regional Conference on Decolonization (Committee-24) in
Grenada, where Morocco tried unsuccessfully to have three
members of the CORCAS speak as representatives of Western
Sahara, suggested the Moroccans are up to their old games
again. In the same Grenada meeting a few weeks ago, Morocco
also tried unsuccessfully to remove a reference to "the two
parties" (Morocco and Polisario) in the final statement,
Boukhari said. Morocco, he continued, was trying to create
the impression that the Western Saharan problem is one
between Sahrawi rather than between Morocco and the Polisario
Front. He said this was a Moroccan tactic tried in 1993 with
then U.S. PermRep Albright and in 2000 with then Personal
Envoy Baker, and it had not worked those times either.
4. (C) Boukhari said that the Polisario knows it will not be
an easy task to arrive at a result that will satisfy both
sides, but that trying to engage is a better option than
doing nothing. Boukhari said he hoped that the talks might
at least bring about a "cease-fire" in human rights
violations in Western Sahara. Boukhari said the Polisario
hoped it would be able to secure wide support from the
international community. Of the "Friends," he said that the
Polisario had still not determined the position of recently
elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who, they hoped,
would not be as one-sided as his predecessor. Boukhari said
flatly that the Polisario does not trust the Spanish, who,
they believe, are playing a double game, asserting that they
are pro-Polisario while secretly being pro-French. As for
the U.S., Boukhari said the Polisario was pleased with
Ambassador Riley's May 9 affirmation that there are indeed
two parties to the dispute (Morocco and the Polisario) and
that the Moroccan autonomy plan is not the only plan on the
table for the upcoming talks.
5. (C) Ambassador Sanders said that it was important to take
one step at a time and that the first step was the most
important. The U.S., she said, will be standing by, ready to
assist the parties as they may wish.
KHALILZAD
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC WI AG MO AF
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED TO POLISARIO TO COME TO TALKS
REF: STATE 74895
Classified By: Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad. E.O 12958. Reasons 1.4 (B&D).
1. (C) Ambassador Sanders delivered reftel demarche June 6 to
Polisario New York Rep Ahmed Boukhari, stressing the
importance of maintaining the momentum established by UNSCR
1754 and underscoring the expectation that the parties will
engage seriously and show flexibility as they work through
their differences. She urged the Polisario to enter the
dialogue with an open and positive attitude, adding that the
international community was watching and that the Polisario
should not risk the loss of credibility in the international
community by failing to engage.
2. (C) Boukhari, who had just returned the previous evening
from an extraordinary session of the Polisario leadership in
Tindouf, said that the Polisario had made a June 3 decision
to participate in the UN-sponsored talks and to do so
seriously, a point he subsequently repeated three more times.
He said the Polisario intended to send a high level
delegation -- the same one that took part in the negotiations
that led to the Houston Agreements concluded under the
auspices of former SYG Personal Envoy James Baker. The
delegation, the first members of which will be arriving in
New York as early as June 11, will include:
--(1) Mahfud ALI BEIBA (Del Head),former PM and current
President of Parliament, Political Leadership Member
--(2) Mohamed KHADAD, Political Leadership Member
--(3) Brahim GHALI, Political Leadership Member
--(4) Ahmed BOUKHARI (New York Rep),Political Leadership
Member
--(5) Bachir SEGAYER, Adviser, Former New York Rep
--(6) Omar Abdellahi SIDI MOHAMED, Adviser, Current London Rep
3. (C) Boukhari said the Polisario hope was that Morocco will
also enter the talks prepared to work seriously as well.
But, Boukhari said, recent Moroccan behavior at the UN
Regional Conference on Decolonization (Committee-24) in
Grenada, where Morocco tried unsuccessfully to have three
members of the CORCAS speak as representatives of Western
Sahara, suggested the Moroccans are up to their old games
again. In the same Grenada meeting a few weeks ago, Morocco
also tried unsuccessfully to remove a reference to "the two
parties" (Morocco and Polisario) in the final statement,
Boukhari said. Morocco, he continued, was trying to create
the impression that the Western Saharan problem is one
between Sahrawi rather than between Morocco and the Polisario
Front. He said this was a Moroccan tactic tried in 1993 with
then U.S. PermRep Albright and in 2000 with then Personal
Envoy Baker, and it had not worked those times either.
4. (C) Boukhari said that the Polisario knows it will not be
an easy task to arrive at a result that will satisfy both
sides, but that trying to engage is a better option than
doing nothing. Boukhari said he hoped that the talks might
at least bring about a "cease-fire" in human rights
violations in Western Sahara. Boukhari said the Polisario
hoped it would be able to secure wide support from the
international community. Of the "Friends," he said that the
Polisario had still not determined the position of recently
elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who, they hoped,
would not be as one-sided as his predecessor. Boukhari said
flatly that the Polisario does not trust the Spanish, who,
they believe, are playing a double game, asserting that they
are pro-Polisario while secretly being pro-French. As for
the U.S., Boukhari said the Polisario was pleased with
Ambassador Riley's May 9 affirmation that there are indeed
two parties to the dispute (Morocco and the Polisario) and
that the Moroccan autonomy plan is not the only plan on the
table for the upcoming talks.
5. (C) Ambassador Sanders said that it was important to take
one step at a time and that the first step was the most
important. The U.S., she said, will be standing by, ready to
assist the parties as they may wish.
KHALILZAD