AS GAZA VIOLENCE CONTINUES, KING MOHAMMED VI

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000038 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA AND NEA/MAG E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/15/2019 TAGS: PREL KWBG KPAL AL MO SUBJECT: AS GAZA VIOLENCE CONTINUES, KING MOHAMMED VI EXPRESSES HIS FURY WITH FELLOW ARAB LEADERS REF: STATE 003120 Classified By: Ambassador Thomas T. Riley for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: During farewell calls on Prime Minister El Fassi and Foreign Minister Fassi Fihri on January 14 and 15, respectively, we discussed Gaza. The Ambassador went over the five key points in reftel, and the Foreign Minister said that the GOM agreed on all five. The Foreign Minister also said the GOM would not be represented in Doha and that he would lead the Moroccan delegation in Kuwait. Fassi Fihri expanded on King Mohammed VI's extraordinary January 15 communique condemning some Arab leaders who were seeking personal advantage from Palestinan suffering. End summary. ¶2. (C) On January 14, the Ambassador paid his farewell call on Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi and made the five points in reftel. At the end of a longer January 15 farewell call on Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Taieb Fassi Fihri, the Minister explained the king's extraordinary communique on the proposed Doha and Kuwait meetings. He stressed that the King is furious about Arab disunity, which the Moroccan and Arab publics do not understand. He indicated that Morocco would not send anyone to Doha but that he would lead the delegation to Kuwait. Fassi Fihri asked rhetorically, "How can we possibly bandage this wound?" He stressed that Morocco is doing the maximum in terms of solidarity with the Palestinian people, and in his only criticism of the United States, he said the USG looked ridiculous when it abstained on the UN Security Council resolution that it had worked so hard to negotiate. He acknowledged that implementation of the resolution will take time, concluding that he hoped the new U.S. Administration would address this "injustice." -------------- The King Bares His Teeth -------------- ¶3. (U) King Mohammed VI, via a press release from his Royal Cabinet, announced January 15 that he would not attend either Arab Summit, but that the GOM would send a delegation to Kuwait (only). Making no secret of royal anger, it declared the Arab competition had reached new lows due to the dueling summits and "squabbling and outbidding tactics." It bitterly blasted personal disagreements and "attempts to secure exclusive leadership of the Arab World or create ... zones of influence," and quests for "media coverage," charging this hurt the whole Islamic World (Ummah) and, most of all, the Palestinians. This gave their enemies a chance to depict "Arab uncertainty, immaturity and irresponsibility," except for some "wise leaders." ¶4. (U) The statement called for solidarity and a considered strategy on the Gaza issue. Morocco, has a commitment to the Palestinians from Mohammed VI and his father Hassan II, it said, noting the assistance provided both by the state and private Moroccans. The King, as head of the Jerusalem (al-Quds) Committee, and Morocco would continue to support a "just, lasting and comprehensive" solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict through the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions, based on a "Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital," living in "security and peace" with Israel. ¶5. (C) Comment: The king's fury was enough to overcome a longstanding tradition dating back to Hassan II of never commenting on royal attendance at Summits. The toughness of the language was unusual in any statement. The Ummah reference may have been a dig at Iran, while "wise leaders" no doubt refers to Saudi Arabia and Jordan. It appears the Kings may be coordinating closely. (A full text of the release was emailed to NEA/MAG and is also available on www.map.ma, the official press agency website.) Septel will report on other subjects in the farewell calls. End Comment. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ***************************************** Riley