RABAT SEES AMU MAINTAINING ITS COURSE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000353

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, AF/RSA AND NEA/MAG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KDEM MR TS LY AG MO
SUBJECT: RABAT SEES AMU MAINTAINING ITS COURSE ON
MAURITANIA, STILL WORTH SUPPORTING

REF: A. STATE 038371 (NOTAL)

B. RABAT 0256 (NOTAL)

Classified By: CDA Robert P. Jackson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) decision to
send observers to Mauritania was confirmed by the recent
ministerial in Tripoli, in which the junta's Foreign Minister
had a full role, according to the Moroccan Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MFA) lead on the AMU. MFA
AMU Division Chief Lahcen Saile said Morocco disagreed with
the U.S. stance on Mauritania and supports the AMU decision
to send observers to Mauritania's presidential elections, as
did other members, including Algeria. Speaking in blunter
terms than the Embassy has heard from his bosses, Saile
asserted, "European views on Mauritania have changed. Why
haven't yours?" He noted that Rabat believes that failure of
the elections could lead to greater internal instability and
would negatively impact Morocco's security. The Community of
Sahelo-Saharan States, an African union to which Morocco
belongs, will also send observers. At the AMU ministerial,
representatives of all five member countries welcomed the
policies of President Obama and expressed an interest in
greater U.S. engagement in the organization, he said, noting
they flew together to the Cordoba ministerial with West
European counterparts. Embassy also communicated points to
AMU staff, but the organization is tied up all week in the
5 5 meetings; so we will follow up for a response. End
Summary.

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Waiting For an Evolution in U.S. Policy
--------------


2. (C) "We are waiting for the U.S. position on Mauritania
to evolve," Lahcen Saile, Chief of the Arab Maghreb Union
division of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Cooperation, told PolOff and PolCouns in response to an April
22 reftel demarche. Morocco disagreed with the U.S. position
on Mauritania and supported the Arab Maghreb Union's decision
to send election observers to monitor the June Presidential
elections. Citing Spain as an example, Saile asserted that
"European views on Mauritania have changed," and then asked,
"Why haven't yours?" He dismissed the African Union's
(AU,s) decision not to send election observers, arguing that
this reflects the constraints of the AU rather than an
African consensus. He noted that the Community of
Sahelo-Saharan States (CEN-SAD),an organization of 28 North
and West African countries (not including Algeria),has
agreed to send observers, and that the AMU (which includes
Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya),also
supports the move.


3. (C) Saile reiterated Rabat's concern over an unstable
Mauritania, noting its geostrategic importance for Morocco's
stability. "Mauritania is very delicate at the moment," he
stressed; "If the elections do not go smoothly, stability
within the country will deteriorate."

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AMU Likes "Obama's Program"
--------------


4. (C) Saile provided a brief readout of the recent AMU
ministerial held April 19 in Tripoli. The participants
discussed deradicalization and how to promote external
commerce, as well as ways to restart the Investment Bank of
the Maghreb. Comparing the AMU to a baby, Saile noted that
"sometimes you have to give it a little milk to keep it
alive" and expressed hope that the U.S. would deepen
engagement with the organization. He told us that
representatives of all five countries welcomed the
"encouraging" policies of President Obama, saying, "So far,
we like the program." They supported the ongoing working
level-contacts with the USG, as well as higher level
contacts. Following the ministerial, all five AMU Foreign
Ministers flew together to Cordoba, Spain, for the (5 5)
Conference with Western Mediterranean Foreign Ministers,
their counterparts from Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, and
Malta, he told us. Echoing what Embassy previously heard
from AMU head Ben Yahya, Saile said the AMU has made some
limited progress on technical functional issues but has gone
nowhere on political issues or real integration.



5. (SBU) With AMU staff in Cordoba for the 5 5 meeting, we
conveyed USG concerns electronically, and will follow up
seeking a response on their return.


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