PRESS COVERAGE OF NEA A/S WELCH'S VISIT

UNCLAS RABAT 000183 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO OVIP MO SUBJECT: PRESS COVERAGE OF NEA A/S WELCH'S VISIT ¶1. NEA A/S Welch's remarks to the press following his meeting with King Mohammed VI generated substantial positive local broadcast and print media coverage. Semi-private "2M" and government-run "SNRT" television both ran lengthy lead stories during their prime-time French- and Arabic-language news broadcasts on the night of February 25, with a combined air-time of more than 16 minutes of reporting. "SNRT" ran the entirety of A/S Welch's comments to the press twice, once during prime time and again at 23:00. Nearly every Moroccan daily also covered the event (as did Asharq al-Awsat),mostly by publishing an article from the government wire service MAP on page one. ¶2. The Moroccan press focused principally on A/S Welch's comments on Western Sahara, with most printing the entirety of his remarks. His comment that "the Moroccan proposal offers a new possibility and has led to these rounds of negotiations" were widely interpreted as indicating -- in the words of pro-Palace daily "Le Matin" -- "renewed U.S. support" to the Moroccan autonomy proposal. The Moroccan press also highlighted A/S Welch's comments about the need to establish "a strong and positive relationship between Morocco and Algeria." The press reported that A/S Welch had discussed with the King, President Bush's desire to see productive talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this year, saying: "His Majesty expressed to me the concern and support of the Kingdom of Morocco for the Palestinian people, but also to see a better future for both sides by a negotiated outcome that has a two-state solution as its product." Finally, the press widely quoted A/S Welch as saying: "Morocco and the United States, broadly speaking, share a strategic vision of peace and stability, prosperity and freedom throughout the area. His Majesty is a visionary leader in this region and a strong supporter of peace." Television coverage also reported that A/S Welch had discussed Lebanon, Iraq and Iran with the king. Concerning the establishment of AFRICOM, A/S Welch explained that there had been many misunderstandings about U.S. intentions, stressing that the United States had no intention to base additional American troops on the African continent. ¶3. Among the few newspapers that went beyond the MAP story, independent daily Le Soir Echos reported that A/S Welch's private talks focused on pushing forward Western Sahara negotiations and promoting Moroccan-Algerian security cooperation; Le Soir was the only daily to report that A/S Welch had met with Moroccan security officials during his visit. Independent daily Al Massae, for its part, opined that, "following the negative UNSYG report on the progress of negotiations between Morocco and the POLISARIO on the Sahara, it seems that the U.S. is intending again to play the role of mediator between Morocco and Algeria, to push forward the negotiations process to find a solution to the Sahara issue." The IO has received other calls from the press inquiring as to whether A/S Welch's visit indicates a USG intention to play a greater mediating role. Riley