FRENCH WARILY BACK CONTINUED UN-LED TALKS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001769 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2018 TAGS: PREL PBTS PGOV UNSC FR MO AG WI SUBJECT: FRENCH WARILY BACK CONTINUED UN-LED TALKS ON WESTERN SAHARA BUT NEED CLARIFICATIONS ON WAY FORWARD REF: (A) RABAT 888 (B) STATE 88765 Classified By: Acting Political Minister Counselor Andrew Young for rea sons 1.4. (b),(d). ¶1. (C) France supports in principle a continuation of the UN-led talks on Western Sahara but was not prepared to commit to another round until it was clearer how the talks would proceed according to Nathalie Loiseau, PDAS-equivalent in the MFA's NEA who responded to Ref B demarche on September 12. Loiseau complained over the manner in which UNSYG Ban Ki Moon let his personal envoy for the Western Sahara, Peter van Walsum, go and urged nothing be done that would alter what she has long called the slightly pro-Moroccan balance enshrined in the most recent UNSCRs on the subject. ¶2. (C) With respect to the expected nomination of former U.S. Ambassador Christopher Ross to succeed van Walsum, Loiseau was lukewarm and rather guarded in terms of France's position. The GOF were aware of Ross' reputation and respected his credentials as a strong candidate for the position. However, until the UNSYG's entourage had determined the talks should proceed, France considers premature any decision over Ross' candidacy. Loiseau was firm that Paris would not accept a mandate that involved "going back to the beginning and starting from scratch." ¶3. (C) Comment: We are struck by how French concerns over the future course of the UN-led talks match those expressed by the Moroccans in ref a. Loiseau did not refer to a roadmap, but she was emphatic that the way ahead needed to be clearer. We further note that, having mollified the Algerians somewhat by not echoing our EOV favoring an autonomy-based solution during last April's MINURSO rollover and facilitating Algerian President Bouteflika's attendance of the mid-July summit on the Mediterranean, the French are determined to revert to a pro-Moroccan tilt. To her credit, Loiseau acknowledged the irony of Paris' disquiet over van Walsum's departure, given French complaints about his slow and overly cautious approach to the negotiations. However, French suspicion about Ban Ki Mooon's position on how best to resolve this issue goes back at least several months to when the Secretariat reputedly edited out van Walsum's frank assessment of the situation in his written report (views van Walsum later expressed to the UNSC orally). Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Fran ce STAPLETON