MOROCCO OPTIMISTIC ON PROSPECT OF SIGNING ON TO

UNCLAS RABAT 000314 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT PLEASE PASS TO NEA/MAG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MNUC PARM PHSA PREL KNNP MO SUBJECT: MOROCCO OPTIMISTIC ON PROSPECT OF SIGNING ON TO PSI REF: STATE 71525 ¶1. (SBU) On April 3, 2008, Poloff extended ref invitation to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director for United Nations Division Azzedine Farhane for the Government of Morocco (GOM) to attend the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) May 28-29 event in Washington D.C. Farhane said that he would pass the diplomatic note and background materials to his superiors and get back to us. After Poloff fielded questions regarding the number of participants currently in PSI, particularly among other African countries, Farhane seemed pleased and said that he would personally recommend to his superiors that the GOM should join the PSI since its principles fall in line with other nonproliferation and security measures that Morocco currently practices. ¶2. (SBU) On April 4, 2008, MFA Director General Youssef Amrani indicated to DCM that Morocco was positively disposed toward PSI. Later that day, MFA Secretary General Omar Hilale briefly told PolCouns that he appreciated the nvitation to the meeting in Washington D.C. and that the GOM was very interested in PSI. Hilale said that there were some unspecified bureaucratic obstacles to signing on but that MFA officials were trying to work them. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ***************************************** Riley