MOROCCO'S SCHOOL FOR FUTURE GOVERNORS SEEKS U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000151 SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/AAE, NEA/PI, NEA/PD AND NEA/MAG E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2019 TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM MASS KDEM KWMN MO SUBJECT: MOROCCO'S SCHOOL FOR FUTURE GOVERNORS SEEKS U.S. ENGAGEMENT Classified By: CDA Robert P. Jackson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: A military academy that is a combination of A-100, ROTC, and an MPA program, the newly revamped Institute for Territorial Administrators in Kenitra, trains the future cadre that will run Morocco's local governance system. The new curriculum aims to instill democratic values in Moroccan administrators and prepare them to better interface with the international community, the U.S. in particular. The full participation of women and minority groups in government, compulsory English and Tamazight (a Berber dialect),and training in human rights, democracy and public liberty are keystones of the program. It is a military/civilian institution headed by a general. The students are in the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) for the length of the two-year course, but become civilians upon graduation and remain FAR reservists for the duration of their Ministry of the Interior (MOI) careers. The curriculum is based on the king's decade-old mandate to create a "new concept of authority" in which public service is emphasized over regime security. Our hosts expressed a strong desire for U.S. participation in the program, as a means of boosting the pro-reform agenda, an objective that Post supports. End Summary. ¶2. (UN) On January 22, PolCouns and Poloff visited the Ministry of the Interior's Royal Institute of Territorial Administration (IRAT),and specifically its Officer Training School (Ecole de Perfectionnement des Cadres),located in Kenitra. Underscoring the importance Rabat places on this program, Brigadier General M'Hamed Allam and Governor Amine M'Zouri, Director of Studies, led the tour. Rachid Rguibi, Director of International Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, and Abdellatif Bencherifa, the Wali (Governor) of Kenitra, also attended. A New Concept of Authority -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Responding to the King's desire to instill a "new concept of authority" in the MOI (i.e. moving beyond the traditional mandate of regime security toward public service),officials revamped the curriculum of the MOI's Officer Training School in 2007. The new curriculum is geared to creating an administrative class committed to democratic ideals, and prepared to engage with the U.S. Our hosts expressed a strong desire for U.S. participation in the program, saying they hoped U.S. experts could occasionally provide lectures about their field of expertise. They also asked for assistance in finding native English speakers to teach in their English language program. ¶4. (C) During our visit, the school's Director of Studies, Governor Amine M'Zouri, pulled PolOff out of earshot of the military officers and emphasized the King's specific instruction to maintain strong civilian influence over the program. M'Zouri said his role was to ensure that the civilian perspective continued to be well represented and cited the expanded course load as evidence. For example, the school now offers courses on the civilian control of government, public liberty, and service, as well as specific training on drug trafficking, extremism, illegal migration, and human rights. While students must learn either French or Spanish, English and Tamazight (Morocco's most widespread Berber dialect) are compulsory -- a significant gesture to pluralism and Morocco's Berber community. Underlining the school's commitment to openness and communication, all students will eventually have access to the internet from their dormitories, and are encouraged to interact with the international community through cyberspace. Students Favorable to the U.S., Want More Contact -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Current students told PolCouns and PolOff, in English, about their commitment to democracy, openness, and working for the people of Morocco. One female student, a Sahrawi(a member of the ethnic/tribal group predominant in southern Morocco and the Western Sahara),emphasized what she had learned about the importance of respecting human rights, and said she looks forward to being a public servant after graduation. Many expressed favorable views of the U.S., including a desire to participate in a U.S.-based internship. ¶7. (SBU) With the greater emphasis on civilian issues, what was once a program with a heavy military focus, is now an elite, highly competitive program designed to create well-rounded, globally aware local administrators or Caids. Students receive the equivalent of a Master of Arts in public administration and are members of the FAR for the duration of the two-year program. Upon graduation, the students become civilians and remain reservists for the length of their MOI careers. The 120 students currently enrolled in the school were selected out of over 10,000 applications from Ministry of Interior personnel through a rigorous written and oral examination process. Most students are between the ages of 25 and 35, and 20 percent of them are women, a fact our hosts proudly and repeatedly emphasized. The program also has an exchange component, and in the past has offered instruction to students from Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. ¶8. (C) Comment: Although the Mission, especially the Office of Security Cooperation, has had a long relationship with the Officer Training School, the newly reorganized program underscores Morocco's efforts to better institutionalize democratic values and this appears to be genuinely in process at the school. It also illustrates the GOM's belief that the future of Morocco depends on its ability to engage effectively with the U.S. Post will explore ways in which we might provide assistance to this program, where appropriate. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ***************************************** Jackson