MOROCCAN ENTHUSIASM FOR PRESIDENT'S CAIRO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 RABAT 000490 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR R (MDAVIDSON) AND NEA/PPD (ASOMERSET) STATE ALSO FOR IIP/NEA-SCA (CHIGGINS) DUBAI FOR MEDIA HUB LONDON FOR MOC E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: PREL OIIP KPAO MO SUBJECT: MOROCCAN ENTHUSIASM FOR PRESIDENT'S CAIRO SPEECH REMAINS HIGH: CONTACT FEEDBACK AND EDITORIAL REACTION ¶1. (U) Summary: At five separate events organized around President Obama's speech last week, Mission Morocco not only saw and heard the extraordinarily positive reaction of Moroccans first hand, but also helped shape insights that found their way directly into the media. The Mission also amplified the message through new media, as well as traditional email outreach, and print, radio and TV interviews. Respondents appreciated the early mention of Morocco and the deft use of Quranic quotes. Many favored the comments on Israel-Palestine, although some felt they did not go far enough, and were skeptical that actions could match words. Press commentary tracked these themes closely, striking overwhelmingly positive notes about the tone and ambition of the speech, with a healthy dose of "the proof is in the pudding." Several commentators used the speech as an opportunity to criticize what they perceive as a lack of democratic values in the Arab World. End Summary. -------------- Mission Hosts Five Viewing Events -------------- ¶2. (SBU) A group of prominent opinion leaders and media commentators, both men and women, gathered at the home of the Charge d'Affaires to watch the President's June 4 speech. Casablanca Consul General Millard hosted a viewing party and lunch at her residence for five prominent newspaper publishers, who among themselves account for seven newspapers and a radio station. The Political Counselor hosted a group to watch the speech, including the editor of the main Islamist newspaper, a local council candidate in upcoming elections, and a Jewish leader of the Rabat community. USAID hosted a group of young people to watch the speech, mainly university students aged 21-31. About 20 journalists from across Morocco, participating in a workshop with a visiting U.S. speaker, watched the speech together at Dar America in Casablanca. -------------- Opinion leaders embrace the speech -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Key opinion leaders were enormously impressed, intellectually and emotionally, emphasizing repeatedly the "humanity" and "humanist spirit" that the President expressed in Cairo, and the clarity and accessibility of his ideas. The director of the Moroccan International Relations Institute (IMRI) described the speech as historic. The deputy head of Morocco's most influential business council felt the President had laid a strong foundation for tackling the Israel-Palestine problem first, which nearly all saw as essential to solving broader regional problems. A lawyer, the first woman to deliver a lecture at the king's annual Ramadan lecture series on Islam, welcomed Obama's emphasis on women's education and women's rights, and on human rights generally. They all spoke in near-reverent tones of the President's clarity, honesty, and intelligence. Several commented that they just hoped he remained President long enough to achieve his goals. ¶4. (SBU) One attendee, a medical doctor who writes about women and Islam and who is also married to a top MFA official, published an article on the speech in the June 9 edition of Le Soir newspaper. She stated that, through his speech, Obama had "destroyed the idea of a clash of civilizations" and called for a new Muslim "critical conscience" capable of rising to challenges such as democratic governance, human rights, education and reformist approaches to questions related to Islam. Obama is not going to resolve all the problems in the Muslim RABAT 00000490 002 OF 005 world, she said, but noted that his speech presented some "passageways" that could help find a way forward. -------------- News Media Directors Bowled Over -------------- ¶5. (U) In Casablanca, the reactions of the assembled media moguls were equally positive, with participants using expressions such as "seductive" and "inspirational" to describe the speech; not one attendee expressed disappointment. ¶6. (SBU) One prominent independent newspaper director admittedly freely that he was unable to be objective about President Obama, whom he adored. He stated several times that many people in the Muslim world were going to be "disturbed" by the speech, challenging as it did many stereotypes and preconceptions about the U.S. Another independent newspaper director stated (approvingly) that the rhetoric was typical Obama, while cautioning that one had to get beyond the seductive words; actions, especially on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, were essential, and the window of opportunity was narrow. This news editor published an editorial in the following day's paper that closely tracked the (overwhelmingly positive) discussion the group had over lunch. A third attendee felt Obama's target audience was not Muslim governments but the Muslim masses, and he praised the President's use of Quranic quotes as an effective way to beat Bin Laden at his own game. ¶7. (SBU) Staff met separately with a top editor at 2M TV on Friday, who said it was a good speech but in view of the obvious change in foreign policy, i.e. a new, firmer U.S. tone towards the Israelis, Barack Obama should be more afraid of his allies than of traditional U.S. enemies. The U.S. President withdrawing unconditional support was a shock to the Israelis, he said, which could lead to Israel making a stupid mistake (like attacking Iran) in panicked reaction. -------------- - Islamist Party Newspaper Director is Impressed -------------- - ¶8. (SBU) The director of an Islamist party newspaper (a former Fulbright grantee who can be stridently critical of U.S. foreign policy) was impressed that Obama did not use word "terrorism" but rather "violent extremism," which is more acceptable and does not label Muslims. He appreciated the president's use of verses from the Quran, and found positive both the timetable for withdrawal from Iraq and the discussion on Iran. He could find nothing in the speech to criticize, only what was not included. In this category he put lack of a timetable for resolution of the Israeli- Palestinian issue, or any mention of Israel taking down the security barriers; he also felt the speech's discussion of HAMAS was no different from the Bush administration's stance. Furthermore, he asserted that Obama's mention of religious freedom meant Christian evangelicals having the right to proselytize, and that Morocco has had problems with that. ¶9. (U) One current political candidate loved the speech and believed that 95 percent of Muslims around the world would approve of it. He was enthusiastic about Obama's emphasis on education, scientific innovation and mutual exchanges. His only complaint was Obama's failure to suggest using sanctions against countries that did not respect human rights. RABAT 00000490 003 OF 005 ¶10. (SBU) The leader of Rabat's Jewish community was impressed with the president's emphasis on the core values of the three religions (Islam, Judaism and Christianity). In response to the Islamist party newspaper editor's comments on Israel, he said that one can't expect the U.S. to impose solutions on any part of the world. He also liked Obama's comment that the "use of power and aggression" will not solve the problems and that we need more diplomacy. Finally, he applauded the speech's support of women's rights as well as other basic human rights, and said that the economy is vital to human rights because the first need is for jobs. -------------- USAID listens to youth representatives -------------- ¶11. (U) University students appreciated the President's focus on the role of youth in building and changing the future they want. They urged more development programs in the Muslim world as the way for the President to "concretize" his speech. They also stressed the importance of encouraging scientific research and exchange programs between the Muslim world and the United States. Some of the students also expressed skepticism and even cynicism, attributing U.S. motivations to a desire to "make the world safe for McDonald's and Coca Cola." Their views may reflect heavy student involvement in periodic boycott efforts against multinational companies, for example during the Gaza conflict several months ago. -------------- Journalists Speak Out -------------- ¶12. (U) Journalists appreciated the Quranic quotations and felt that Islam (finally) had been included as the equal of Christianity and Judaism. They also liked the distinction between "violent extremists" and Islamists, and they agreed that terrorism is everyone's enemy and fighting it is legitimate for all. They found Obama balanced, thoughtful, well prepared, and confident (in the "Yes, we can!" mode). They also liked the president's call to youth to work to change the world, and his emphasis on women's rights. Reflecting a common concern, one journalist found Obama's statement on U.S. policy toward Israel unclear, especially on settlements. -------------- The Wisdom of Teachers -------------- ¶13. (U) Senior teachers gathered at a regional meeting in Rabat took a break to watch the speech, and a PAS local employee noted the following reactions: -- The humanity and realism of Mr. Obama are outstanding, worth considering and dealing with; -- Now Muslims can listen to what U.S. says since Obama showed a deep understanding of what Islam is, unlike many U.S. presidents before him; -- Now the idea of considering the U.S. as an enemy is no longer appropriate; -- If Obama can force Israel to give Palestinians their legitimate rights as he implied, fighting terrorism can be then a common goal of both the U.S. and the Muslim world; -- Obama's view of the necessity of progress through education and business development is highly appreciated; and -- The idea of interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding and respect by means of more cultural and exchange programs is a crucial starting point. RABAT 00000490 004 OF 005 ¶14. (U) At the same time, these teachers reflected widespread Moroccan concern that the key issue is Israel-Palestine, and that Obama may not be prepared to go far enough: -- Obama should not ask Palestinians to pay for what others did to the Jews (Shoah),and -- Obama criticized some Muslims for not recognizing Israel but did not say a word on Israel ignoring two UN resolutions, which puts the latter above international law. -------------- "Man on the street" comments in Casablanca -------------- ¶15. (U) A local employee from the Public Affairs Section in Casablanca noted the following exchanges: a. In a cafe, where everyone was focused on Al Jazeera news broadcasts: "The Americans are at last back to reason." "Let's hope they put Obama's words into practice." "I thought he was sincere and poignant." "Thank God, the Americans are talking about the necessity of a Palestinian state." "But how is he going to force Israel to stop settlements?" "Let's first hope HAMAS gets back to reason after America's good intentions." b. Outside the cafe, where campaigners for the upcoming local elections were distributing candidate posters, a bystander called out, "Did you hear Obama saying that you advocate democracy only when you are out of power; once in power, you become cruel in suppressing the rights of others. You'd better do it right." c. At a downtown mosque frequented by Islamists, where a group of young men were gathered for Friday prayers, the Quran reading that preceded the sermon was: "O mankind! We have created you male and a female, and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another" -- the same verse quoted by President in his speech. "They should recite it the way Obama used it yesterday," said one young man. "Do you mean in English?" "No, I mean the emotional and eloquent way Obama uttered it." Another man declared, "I appreciate his honesty when he said that American views about Muslims would not change overnight." -------------- New Media Outreach -------------- ¶16. (U) In addition to posting IIP's SMS Arabic option on our websites and on the websites and blog and Facebook pages of several contacts, the Mission also distributed the speech to hundreds of contacts in Arabic and French and asked for their opinion . Following are some representative comments: -- The speech has achieved many political gains at the level of U.S.-Arab Muslim relationships. -- Obama's speech seduces, but it does not conquer. -- The gap is deep between Arabs and Muslims' dreams and the U.S. dream. Arabs would like to return to a specific period of history to convince Americans of the fairness of their own cause, while Americans would like to jump voluntarily over certain important historical phases and convince Arabs and Muslims to forget the past. -------------- Press Editorial Reaction -------------- ¶17. (U) The Mission made a substantial effort to RABAT 00000490 005 OF 005 shape public opinion via direct engagement with the press, as well as by reaching out to media opinion leaders, as outlined above. An exclusive interview with leading Arabic daily Assabah by the Charge, a live television interview in French by IO David Ranz during the prime-time news bulletin on the evening of the speech, and lengthy radio interviews (in French and Arabic respectively) by PolCouns Craig Karp and ConGenOff Matthew Lehrfeld enabled the Mission to link key messages of the speech to the U.S.-Moroccan partnership. ¶18. (U) Editorial response to the speech has been voluminous and overwhelmingly positive, and continues nearly a week after the speech took place. In addition to sounding many of the main themes mentioned above, some journalists are focusing particular attention on President Obama's theme of democracy, noting that the closest U.S. allies in the region, such as Obama's host Egypt and Saudi Arabia, are hardly good exemplars. As one newspaper director wrote, "If only there were half the democracy in the Arab world that exists in India, the world's poorest country, there would be no Bin Laden, no Zawahiri, no Abu Musaab, no Abu Qatada, and no youth to bomb Madrid's trains on a beautiful morning." Several newspaper commentators also took critics of the speech to task, saying that President Obama had extended his hand in friendship, and Muslims should respond in kind. JACKSON