Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09CARACAS67
2009-01-16 21:30:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Caracas
Cable title:  

MOROCCO CLOSING EMBASSY DUE TO CHAVEZ'S POLISARIO

Tags:  PREL VE MO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9448
OO RUEHAG RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHCV #0067 0162130
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 162130Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2444
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 0019
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 0029
C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000067 

SIPDIS

SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2019
TAGS: PREL VE MO
SUBJECT: MOROCCO CLOSING EMBASSY DUE TO CHAVEZ'S POLISARIO
AFFINITY

Classified By: A/Political Counselor Daniel Lawton,
Reason 1.4 (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000067

SIPDIS

SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2019
TAGS: PREL VE MO
SUBJECT: MOROCCO CLOSING EMBASSY DUE TO CHAVEZ'S POLISARIO
AFFINITY

Classified By: A/Political Counselor Daniel Lawton,
Reason 1.4 (d)


1. (SBU) Summary. Morocco announced its plans to close its
Caracas embassy and relocate to the Dominican Republic via a
terse January 15 press release carried widely in the
Venezuelan media. The Moroccans cited Venezuela's "growing
hostility" to Moroccan territorial integrity and recent
measures by the Chavez administration "to support the phony
Saharan Arab Democratic Republic SADR)" (the POLISARIO
guerrillas' self-declared nation in Western Sahara). End
Summary.


2. (C) Moroccan DCM Haddawi (strictly protect) told Poloff
January 16 that there was not a specific event leading to
Morocco's decision to close its Caracas embassy. He did,
however, mention the unconfirmed internet report that Hector
Michel Mujica, Venezuela's ambassador to Algeria had recently
presented credentials to the SADR. When appointed in
September 2008, the official gazette of the National Assembly
naming Mujica as Ambassador to Algeria and to serve
concurrently as non-resident Ambassador to the SADR.


3. (C) The SADR representative in Venezuela pre-dates
President Chavez going back several years. Chavez received
the credentials of the latest SADR representative, Omar
Emboririk Ahmed, as well as those of nine ambassadors from
recognized nations, in August 2008 ceremony. Haddawi said he
did not know when the Moroccan embassy would cease
operations, noting that moving an entire diplomatic mission
could take months. The Algerian and Moroccan missions issued
a series of pointed diplomatic memos late last year stating
their conflicting positions regarding Western Sahara and
copied all diplomatic missions in Caracas.


4. (C) Comment. This latest local international controversy
is another example of Chavez's affection for armed
revolutionary movements such as the POLISARIO and the FARC.
End Comment.
CAULFIELD