Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09RABAT333
2009-04-19 12:21:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Rabat
Cable title:  

NEA DAS SPIRNAK VISIT ENCOURAGES MEPI AND PAS

Tags:  EAID KPAO KPMI MO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0008
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #0333/01 1091221
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 191221Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9999
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 4973
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 9783
UNCLAS RABAT 000333 

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR NEA/PI, NEA/MAG, DRL/NESCA AND NEA/PPD
TUNIS FOR MEPI REGIONAL OFFICE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID KPAO KPMI MO
SUBJECT: NEA DAS SPIRNAK VISIT ENCOURAGES MEPI AND PAS
CONTACTS IN MOROCCO

REF: STATE 036567

UNCLAS RABAT 000333

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR NEA/PI, NEA/MAG, DRL/NESCA AND NEA/PPD
TUNIS FOR MEPI REGIONAL OFFICE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID KPAO KPMI MO
SUBJECT: NEA DAS SPIRNAK VISIT ENCOURAGES MEPI AND PAS
CONTACTS IN MOROCCO

REF: STATE 036567


1. (U) Summary: The Middle East Partnership Initiative
(MEPI) has been a high impact, flexible tool in promoting
democracy and other USG goals in Morocco. Acting Deputy
Assistant Secretary (A/DAS) for Near East Affairs (NEA)
Madelyn Spirnak visited MEPI projects and implementers and
participated in public diplomacy projects April 1-3. Public
affairs events received positive media attention, focusing on
strong relations between USG and Morocco and support for
Moroccan youth. The MEPI funded Women's Election Program
implemented by the International Republican Institute (IRI)
and National Democratic Institute (NDI) has already trained
more than 2,000 women in only three weeks in how to
effectively run as candidates in the upcoming June local
elections. MEPI alumni and implementers shared repeated
testimonies of the success of MEPI-funded programs in Morocco
and encouraged Washington to continue funding the MEPI
Student Leaders Exchange Program. Post appreciates speedy
NEA/PI action on two recent time sensitive project requests
and seeks MEPI assistance for a prison reform and monitoring
program in Morocco. End Summary.

--------------
A/DAS Spirnak Visits Morocco
--------------


2. (U) NEA A/DAS Madelyn Spirnak traveled to Rabat, Morocco,
April 1-3 for the primary purpose of attending a preparatory
meeting for the 2009 Forum for the Future (Reftel). In
addition, Spirnak also met with the Charge d'Affaires (CDA)
and other members of the mission's Democracy Working Group to
learn how the Mission is engaging civil society through
various NEA/PI- and NEA/PPD-funded programs.

--------------
MEPI Partnership with ABA
--------------


3. (SBU) During her visit, A/DAS Spirnak met with Morocco
National Judicial Training Institute Director General
Mohammed Bennani who demonstrated the 15 MEPI funded
e-learning modules focused on the family code and labor laws.
MEPI partnered with the American Bar Association (ABA) Rule
of Law Initiative to implement this program with an initial
group of 100 family court clerks. According to Bennani, 70
percent of the students were very impressed with the content
of the e-learning modules and use the Internet on a regular
basis. 100 percent of the students had a positive opinion
toward incorporating new technologies into the legal

curriculum. The Institute will implement the program
throughout the country for the benefit of all judges and
family law clerks as soon as it finalizes contract agreements
with an internet service provider to host the training
modules. Bennani shared this successful MEPI-funded program
last month with judicial colleagues in Libya and said there
was interest throughout the region in implementing a similar
concept.

-------------- --------------
IRI/NDI Women's Election Program Launches Successfully
-------------- --------------


4. (SBU) IRI Country Director Jamie Tronnes and then-NDI
Country Director Felix Ulloa briefed A/DAS Spirnak on the
recent progress of the MEPI-funded Women's Election Program
co-implemented by two party institutes. Formally launched on
March 21, the program aims to train women candidates who will
contest the approximately 12,000 new seats reserved for women
on local councils in June municipal elections. The program
will help women candidates enhance their public diplomacy,
messaging and voter outreach skills and is proving to be a
huge draw. More than 2,000 women have already received
training in the initial three weeks and the project is on its
way toward bringing in a large number of women candidates
into the campaign process. The MEPI-funded program is the
only country-wide effort targeting women and preparing them
for the upcoming local elections.

--------------
Spirnak Participates in PAS Events
--------------


5. (U) In conjunction with the mission's Public Affairs
Section (PAS),A/DAS Spirnak presented 30 sets of My Arabic
Library books, along with Nouveaux Horizons, Arabic book
translation program titles, and IIP publications, to the

Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports for distribution to
youth centers throughout Morocco. This PAS outreach effort
builds on a MEPI-initiated project launched several years ago
to promote Arabic-language education in Moroccan primary
schools. The book presentation event was widely covered by
local media. Spirnak also participated in a PAS Citizen
Journalism grant project with Moroccans aged 10-16. In the
"interviewing" session, the children took turns interviewing
the A/DAS, and later practiced how to incorporate internet
technology to disseminate information. This pilot grant is
engaging five community centers and libraries in the Rabat
area to offer basic journalism, blogging, and internet skills
training during school breaks, a program the Mission aims to
replicate both at the pilot centers and elsewhere in Morocco.


6. (U) Spirnak also participated in a PAS dinner that
brought together American and Moroccan academics and exchange
program alumni. The goal was to exchange ideas and create
new linkages that will build upon existing public affairs
programs. Visiting Americans included Roger Allen, Chair of
the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of
Pennsylvania. Paul Heck, Professor of Islamic Studies in
Georgetown University's Theology Department, who is teaching
comparative religion as a Fulbright Senior Scholar at
Mohammad V University in Rabat, provided fascinating insights
on his students and his efforts to stress an analytical
approach to religious studies. Doug Davis, professor at
Haverford College, discussed his personal interest and
research on the influence of Arabic hip-hop music and the
messages it spreads (government corruption, status quo, lack
of opportunities) to youth throughout the region. A/DAS
Spirnak opined MEPI would want to learn more about this
movement and how hip-hop might be used in future PD or MEPI
programs targeting youth.

--------------
Meeting MEPI Alumni
--------------


7. (U) During mission representational events, A/DAS Spirnak
had the opportunity to interact with Moroccan officials,
Members of Parliament and many other MEPI local grant
implementers and alumni, including representatives from
MEPI-funded Women in Technology, the Association of Women
Entrepreneurs in Morocco, MEPI Student Alumni, Tanmia,
Project ALEF, The People's Mirror, and the MEPI
Alumni-sponsored Caravan For Young Leaders program. During
each of these events, A/DAS Spirnak heard repeated
testimonies on the success of MEPI-funded programs in Morocco
as well as requests to continue the MEPI-funded Student
Leaders Exchange Program and support for the Alumni Network.
Participants at a lunch also discussed the importance of
MEPI's communication strategy and how the Alumni Network
might assist in outreach.

-------------- --------------
Post Requests MEPI Assistance With Prison Project
-------------- --------------


8. (SBU) In a final outbrief with the CDA, USAID Deputy
Director Ramona El Hamzaoui presented a USD 5 million
proposal focused on addressing the needs of at-risk youth and
youth in prison to mitigate disaffection and extremism in
Morocco. The Mission is in the process of finalizing this
inter-agency program for consideration for 1207 funding for
training at-risk youth and reforming the justice system to
include alternative sentencing in order to keep youth out of
prison. Once the 1207 proposal is finalized and submitted,
the Mission plans to request MEPI funding for the portions of
the project related to MEPI reform goals.


9. (U) Comment: MEPI is a strong, flexible tool that has
directly advanced mission strategic goals with democratic,
economic, and judicial reforms, as well as indirectly by
enhancing civil society's voice and offering cultural
exchanges. We are extremely grateful to MEPI Washington for
accepting and funding two recent project requests in record
time: the NDI/IRI co-implemented Women's Election Program
and the focus group research project to be implemented by The
People's Mirror. We hope that we can continue to count on
the same level of cooperation in the future.


10. (U) This cable has been cleared by NEA A/DAS Spirnak.
End comment.


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Jackson