MOROCCAN FM TO SYRIANS - "WHO WILL REPRESENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000193 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2018 TAGS: PREL MO SY LE XF SUBJECT: MOROCCAN FM TO SYRIANS - "WHO WILL REPRESENT LEBANON AT THE AL SUMMIT?" REF: STATE 19473 Classified by Polcouns Craig M. Karp for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri (TFF) bluntly expressed Morocco's dissatisfaction with the political impasse in Lebanon during Syrian Foreign Minister Mouallem's visit to Marrakech on February 26, according to Director-General Mohammed Azeroual, point-man on Arab and Islamic affairs. Azeroual told Polcouns February 29 that Mouallem had been granted only a cursory audience with King Mohammed VI. The FM, in a separate longer meeting, warned the Syrians that the late March Arab League summit in Damascus would receive only low level participation if the question of the Lebanese presidency remained unresolved. In the absence of a head of state from Lebanon, "Who will you invite, Fouad Seniora?" TFF bluntly asked his Syrian guest. ¶2. (C) Responding to reftel request to skip entirely the Arab League Summit, Azeroual said that Morocco and other Arab states could not boycott the Damascus summit. A boycott would set a precedent that might permanently snuff out the annual summit, Morocco believed. However, if Michel Sleiman is not elected by late March, the Damascus summit will see the lowest representation from Arab states in the League's history, he predicted. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ***************************************** Riley