MUSTAPHA RAMID: MOROCCO NEEDS REAL REFORM; U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 001004

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/IPA AND DRL/NESCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PHUM KISL IS MO
SUBJECT: MUSTAPHA RAMID: MOROCCO NEEDS REAL REFORM; U.S.
POLICY UNBALANCED

REF: CASABLANCA 0168

Classified By: Political Counselor Gregory Thome for reasons 1.4 (b) an
d (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a December 10 meeting with PolOff,
leading Islamist politician Mustapha Ramid stressed that he
is pro-monarchy, but openly and frankly criticized the
Government; suggested that Morocco was moving in the wrong
direction; and called for a devolution of the king's powers.
Engaging PolOff in a lively debate, he criticized U.S. policy
in the Middle East, focusing on Israel and the Palestinians.
Ramid's critique of Moroccan politics differs from the
assessments of the majority of members of other Moroccan
political parties and appears to promote genuine, democratic
reform. Like many other harder-line Islamist politicians and
activists, Ramid had minimized contact with the Embassy over
the past several years; this meeting was one of several steps
Mission Morocco is taking to expand it dialogue with those
who have traditionally taken hostile stances toward U.S.
policy. End summary.

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Morocco Backtracking on Reform
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2. (C) PolOff met with the Islamist Party of Justice and
Development's (PJD) parliamentary block chairman Mustapha
Ramid on December 10. Ramid argued that the Party of
Authenticity and Modernity (PAM),which is widely perceived
as the palace party, was created to put down the PJD. He
cited as proof the PAM's actions during the communal council
election in Oujda (Reftel),in which the PAM, Istiqlal and
the Popular Movement effectively blocked PJD attempts to form
a governing coalition. This sent a message that the PJD is
ineffective and "only the PAM can resolve problems." The
handling of the June elections and the creation of the PAM
were a sign that Morocco was moving "backwards" in terms of
democratization, he added. The Government simply did not
want a party that is "independent" and expresses a different
opinion.


3. (C) When asked about the king's reforms, Ramid stated
that having the King as the source of reform was both
"positive and mistaken." He made clear that he was
pro-monarchy, but that he preferred the King not be involved
in everyday issues. Instead, he proposed that the King
should be removed from politics, allowing the Parliament to
take over day-to-day operations. The King should direct the
overall strategy and observe but should only interfere in
times of crisis or when laws passed by Parliament were
unconstitutional in Ramid,s view.

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The U.S. Needs a More Balanced Foreign Policy
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4. (C) Ramid emphasized that he had boycotted contacts with
U.S. officials during the Bush Administration and that this
was the first time he had met officially with a U.S. embassy
official since then, aside from occasional social contacts
with CG Casablanca PolOff. He stressed that he was reserving
judgment on the current administration and considered himself
neither an "enemy" nor a "friend" of the U.S. The previous
administration had divided the world in two, which had
strengthened those who see the U.S. as an enemy, like Usama
Bin Laden. In a lengthy discourse against U.S. policy
towards Israel and the Palestinians, he claimed that U.S.
policy only supported Israel. When PolOff pointed out that
the U.S. supports the Palestinian Authority (PA) and has
strongly backed a two-state solution, he commented that the
U.S. assists the PA "just enough to keep it alive" but not
enough to truly improve the situation of the Palestinians.
Asking why the U.S. favored a two-state solution, he
speculated that there could be other possible solutions, such
as one state for both Israelis and Palestinians. He called
on the U.S. to act with more respect and justice in its
policies and to be more balanced, especially in its Middle
East policy.

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Comment
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5. (C) Ramid is an influential PJD member as well as lawyer
who has defended high-profile imprisoned Salafist sheikhs.
This meeting represents part of a wider Mission Morocco
initiative -- in keeping with the momentum and the new tone
characterized in the President's Cairo speech -- to widen our

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contacts with Moroccan Islamists and others who have
traditionally taken hostile stances toward U.S. policy.
PolOff did not succeed in changing Ramid's negative views
regarding U.S. policies the Middle East, but both agreed on
keeping the door open to further discussions. Meanwhile,
Ramid's frank critique of Moroccan politics differs from
opinions expressed by the majority of the political parties
here; he offered a realistic assessment in which he appeared
to promote genuine, democratic reform.


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Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco
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JACKSON