Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08RABAT321
2008-04-14 10:44:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rabat
Cable title:  

MOROCCO: CODEL BOEHNER'S VISIT - PARLIAMENTARY DIALOGUE AND MIDDLE EAST ISSUES

Tags:  OVIP JOHN PREL PGOV EAID SY MO JOHN BOEHNER 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 000321 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR H, NEA/MAG, NEA/MEPI AND DRL/NESCA
DEPT PLS PASS AID/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2018
TAGS: OVIP BOEHNER JOHN PREL PGOV EAID SY MO
SUBJECT: MOROCCO: CODEL BOEHNER'S VISIT - PARLIAMENTARY
DIALOGUE AND MIDDLE EAST ISSUES

Classified By: Amb. Thomas T. Riley for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 000321

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR H, NEA/MAG, NEA/MEPI AND DRL/NESCA
DEPT PLS PASS AID/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2018
TAGS: OVIP BOEHNER JOHN PREL PGOV EAID SY MO
SUBJECT: MOROCCO: CODEL BOEHNER'S VISIT - PARLIAMENTARY
DIALOGUE AND MIDDLE EAST ISSUES

Classified By: Amb. Thomas T. Riley for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Both parliamentarians and executive branch
officials warmly welcomed CODEL Boehner during a March 27-30
visit to Morocco. Representative Boehner,s counterpart,
Chamber of Deputies Second Vice President Baha from the
Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party (PJD),was
very positive, and avoided his customary criticism of U.S.
policies. Congressman Miller suggested the House Democracy
Assistance Program could be useful to Morocco. The meeting
helped support the mission objective of supporting the newly
elected Parliament. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Director-General Amrani noted Morocco's good relations with
Israel, but said that many countries in the Middle East Peace
Process were taking a "wait-and-see" approach until the
presidential election in the U.S. End Summary.

--------------
CODEL Boehner
--------------


2. (SBU) House Minority Leader Mr. John Boehner led a CODEL
to Morocco March 27-30. Members of the Delegation included:
Peter Hoekstra, John Carter, Jeff Miller, and Peter Roskam.
After a brief stop in Fes, the delegation held meetings with
counterparts in Rabat and then proceeded to Marrakech,
receiving a briefing on local political conditions and the
"All Democrats Movement," before returning to Washington D.C.

-------------- ---
Meeting with Chamber of Deputies (House) Leaders
-------------- ---


3. (SBU) At the Parliament, CODEL Boehner, accompanied by
Ambassador Riley, was warmly received by his counterpart,
Chamber of Deputies (lower house) 2nd Vice President Abdullah
Baha from the Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party
(PJD). (Note: As the PJD is the largest minority party, Baha
is, in effect, the minority leader. In the Moroccan
parliamentary structure, heads of all major factions, in or
out of majority, are vice presidents.) Also on the Moroccan

side were Parliamentary Secretary Chafik Rachadi, from
Speaker Mansouri's Assembly of National Independents party
(RNI),Abdellah Larouji, from the (Socialist) National Union
of Popular Forces party (USFP) and Mohammed Ahmed Lakhir, a
staffer.


4. (SBU) Baha identified himself as a former participant in
the USG's International Visitor (IV) Program. As an IV, he
had visited the CODEL home states of Illinois and Texas. He
looked forward to a possible future visit to Capitol Hill.
Baha gave a short exposition of the long history of close
Moroccan-U.S. relations, and hoped that trade between the two
countries would continue to grow. He particularly
appreciated USG and congressional support for Morocco's
territorial integrity (i.e., its stance on Western Sahara),
underscoring the importance of the U.S. role in keeping peace
and preserving stability worldwide. "Terrorism is a global
danger and the struggle against it requires an integrated
approach," he said. (Comment: Rising to his new role, Baha
avoided the criticism of U.S. policies in the region that
Embassy has previously heard from him.)


5. (SBU) Rachadi noted that of the Chamber's 325 members, 34
were women. There are eight parliamentary groups (equivalent
to party caucuses) of at least 20 members each. The Chamber
wanted to benefit from the long experience of the U.S. House
of Representatives, particularly in the area of effective
communications and public relations. Rachadi expressed
particular appreciation of Ambassador Riley's extensive
travels even to "corners of Morocco where most members of
this house never go."


6. (SBU) Boehner said he was here to help strengthen the
relationship between Morocco and the U.S. "We know the
U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is working, and we
want to see it work better." On Sahara, he said the United
States supported Morocco's efforts to achieve an agreed
solution and he believed their offer was generous. He
advised the GOM to stay the course in the negotiations

RABAT 00000321 002 OF 002


despite their slow progress. Congressman Miller noted he was
a member of the House Democracy Assistance Commission and
looked forward to working on a cooperation program.
Congressman Roskam said he represented over 30,000 Muslims in
his own district, and noted the growing influence of Muslims
as constituents in U.S. politics.

-------------- --------------
Meeting with Director General for Bilateral Affairs
-------------- --------------


7. (SBU) During the CODEL's meeting with Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA) Director General for Bilateral Affairs Youssef
Amrani on March 28, Boehner echoed the message he had given
to Moroccan parliamentarians by expressing admiration and
urging patience for the Moroccan approach to a solution for
the Western Sahara. Boehner, again, described Morocco's
autonomy plan as "generous in approach."


8. (C) In response to a question from Congressman Hoekstra
regarding Morocco's view of the Middle East Peace Process
(MEPP),Amrani explained Morocco's positive role in
encouraging a Middle East peace. Amrani said that Morocco
welcomed President Bush's "unprecedented" support for an
independent Palestinian State. He praised the Annapolis
meeting, but warned that more concrete progress was needed to
prevent extremists from taking advantage of the situation and
attracting new terrorist recruits. Amrani said that many
countries with interests in the MEPP process were taking a
"wait-and-see" approach until the resolution of U.S.
presidential election. He underscored the GOM's good
relations with Israel and the importance of Morocco's Jewish
community as an integral part of Moroccan society but roundly
condemned Israel's policy of cutting off supplies to Gaza.
He described this denial of resources as a "war," and not
good for Gaza, Israel, or the world. Instead, he urged
Israeli action to ease the economic burden on the Palestinian
people and to stop settlement activity.


9. (C) In response to a question from Congressman Miller
regarding Syria, Amrani described Syria as a country trapped
in stagnation, resistant to modernization and
democratization. While the President had changed, Syria
continues to be run by the same individuals around the
President that have run the country for years--which, in
part, explains Syria's unproductive role in influencing
democratic progress on Lebanon.


10. (SBU) On the Western Sahara, Amrani thanked the United
States for its continued support of Morocco's autonomy
proposal. He expressed doubt that the deadlock could be
resolved any time soon, given continued Algerian and
Polisario insistence on referendum and independence. He
called resolution to the conflict key to regional
integration, stability, democratization, and by extension, to
defeating terrorism in the Maghreb, underscoring the regional
menace posed by al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic
Maghreb.


11. (SBU) In response to a question from Congressman Roskam,
Amrani said that Morocco had many differences with Wahhabist
ideology, especially in regard to Wahhabi gender
discrimination. Amrani noted the progressive legislation
that Morocco has passed to improve women's rights. "While
Morocco is an Islamic country, it is an open and tolerant
country." Amrani said that Morocco was concerned about the
spread of Wahhabism and other conservative interpretations of
the Koran. He described the rapid growth in recent years of
the number of conservative religious television programs,
broadcast from other Arab states but nonetheless watched by
many Moroccans, as a new and disturbing trend.


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Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
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Riley