PRIORITY AREAS FOR INL SECURITY ASSISTANCE AND

UNCLAS RABAT 000545 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR INL/AAE - AARON ALTON AND ISN/ECC - VENNIE PSAROS STATE ALSO FOR S/CT, DS/ATA, L/LEI, INR/CYBER, NEA/RA AND NEA/MAG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR PHUM EAID EXBS KJUS ASEC KCRM MO SUBJECT: PRIORITY AREAS FOR INL SECURITY ASSISTANCE AND COORDINATION IN MOROCCO REF: A. RABAT 0443 (NOTAL) ¶B. RABAT 0408 (NOTAL) ¶C. RABAT 0161 (NOTAL) ¶D. RABAT 0151 (NOTAL) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Mission-wide meetings and encounters with the top Moroccan law enforcement and justice officials with INL and NEA/MAG confirm there is excellent prospect for expanded collaboration across the range of law and justice assistance programs. USG support for Moroccan judicial reform, customs training, advanced law enforcement training in cybercrime and trafficking, and training of prison administrators present fertile opportunities for future cooperation. ¶2. (SBU) In an effort to better coordinate U.S. security assistance to Morocco, the Mission took advantage of the visit of INL Regional Coordinator and NEA/MAG Moroco DeskOff. We organized a series of internal mission-wide meetings and comprehensive, high-level discussions with senior Government of Morocco (GOM) security officials to determine U.S. priorities and Moroccan needs and to find areas where they intersect. The objective was to clearly distinguish USG assistance from operations and to build capacity in the GOM while assuring the policy component to USG assistance. ¶3. (SBU) Post's priorities for future INL funding are as follows: -- Advisory assistance, through a legal advisor, on pre-trial diversion and alternative sentencing; -- Enhancement of the Moroccan customs training facility in Casablanca, which would not only train Moroccans but also nationals from other countries, and would include advanced training courses in border management and protection, radioactive material interdiction, collection and analysis of data concerning fraud, and passenger control and inspection, among others; -- Cybercrime prevention and training for law enforcement officials; -- A U.S. familiarization visit for Moroccan prison officials and management training for prison administrators; -- Enhanced administration of justice training programs for future governors at the Ministry of Interior's training academy; and -- Further training for law enforcement officials in the areas of coast guard and border protection, anti-narcotics, organized crime, money laundering, drug identification and testing, and anti-trafficking. End Summary. -------------- Rule of Law -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Ministry of Justice is finalizing a judicial reform strategy aimed at creating a more independent judiciary (Ref A). Morocco's focus on the need to improve the judicial system provides significant opportunities for U.S. assistance in this area. Mohamed Lididi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice, emphasized to LEGAT and POL visitors that Morocco views the U.S. judicial system as a model and expressed a desire for continued cooperation in this field, noting GOM progress on training judges and modernizing tribunals (courts). Lididi, accompanied by Head of Penal Affairs Mohammed Abdenabaoui (responsible for prosecution, judicial management, sentencing, and royal pardons) requested advisory assistance on pre-trial diversion, a key factor in reducing prison overcrowding due to the large number of pre-trail detainees. They would also be interested in help with alternative sentencing, for the same purpose. Lididi underlined a need for broad legal and judicial assistance as he had discussed in his 2008 visit to Washington. -------------- Prisons -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Echoing previous meetings (Ref B),Delegate General for Prisons Moulay Hafid Benhachem told the Charge that security and rehabilitation of prisoners remain his top priorities. Generally wary of U.S. intentions, Benhachem expressed a willingness to travel to the U.S. and view U.S. methods of surveillance, administration and training of prison administrators. In what could be an area to begin cooperation, Benhachem expressed an interest in "train-the-trainer" programs for prison directors. He told us that he was not interested in training for prison guards as they already go through a six-month course focused on the penal code, law and human rights. He also expressed an interest in post-incarceration training programs but noted that the King Mohammed VI Foundation for Reinsertion is already involved in this field. Post supports cooperation with the Prison Administration as it seeks to reform Morocco's overcrowded and underfunded prison system, which houses a large number of potentially radicalized and radicalizing Islamist prisoners. -------------- Customs and Borders -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Customs and border officials underlined advanced training as their biggest need. The Director of Resources and Training in the Moroccan Customs Administration, Saadia Alaoui Abdellaoui, noted that the Moroccan customs training center currently provides instruction to all Moroccan customs officials as well as to officials from other Arab and African countries. She underlined the need for more practical, hands-on training and noted that the training center lacked scanners and other equipment currently used at border check-points. The Director of the Moroccan Customs Training Center, Abderrazak El Mergaoui, told EconOff that the training center is in need of desk-top and laptop computers, digital video conferencing equipment and customs training documents in French or Arabic. The training center would welcome practical operational training from U.S. customs experts, he said. ¶7. (SBU) Abdellaoui expressed appreciation for previous customs-related programs including training to combat money laundering, terrorism and narcotics trafficking. Advanced training in border management and protection, radioactive material interdiction, chemical weapons interdiction, collection and analysis of data concerning fraud, passenger control and inspection would be welcome, she said. The Mission believes support for customs training would strengthen cooperation with the Moroccan Government, while increasing security and decreasing illegal activities through better protection of border areas. -------------- Law Enforcement -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Emphasizing the reforms undertaken by Morocco in the field of human rights, Director General of National Security Cherki Drais (Chief of the National Police Force responsible for all local urban policing and entry at frontiers) expressed a hope that human rights would provide a good foundation on which to strengthen cooperation. He noted that human rights concepts are included in Morocco's training programs and thanked the U.S. for the more than 30 training exercises already conducted with Morocco. Assistance in combating cybercrime and money laundering, conducting internet monitoring, intelligence gathering, profiling and DNA testing, and canine or horse training are areas of need, he stated, adding additional train-the-trainer courses would be useful. He hopes to establish a yearly commission with the U.S. to review and plan training programs. ¶9. (SBU) The Royal Gendarmerie, a civilian police force under the Ministry of Defense with jurisdiction in rural areas, emphasized the need for further training in the areas of coastal and border protection, anti-narcotics, organized crime, money laundering, hostage situations, and interdiction of all kinds of trafficking, including human, drug, and arms. It was particularly concerned about cybercrime, saying it was unprepared to deal with this issue and asked for U.S. training and equipment assistance. (Note: See Ref C for further information on law enforcement training needs. End Note.) Post believes additional support for Moroccan law enforcement officers would improve bilateral cooperation, while increasing the capacity of the GOM to respond to criminal activities. -------------- Ministry of the Interior -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Rachid Rguibi, Governor in Charge of International Cooperation, requested support for the Ministry of the Interior's (MOI,s) training academy at Kenitra which trains future governors (Ref D). Specifically, he expressed an interest in exchange programs between U.S. training academies and the MOI's school for governors. Post has organized lectures by visiting U.S. professors from National Defense University in the past and hopes to continue this cooperation. ¶11. (SBU) Governor Khalid Zerouali, MOI Governor in Charge of Migration and Border Security, stated that he was pleased with MOI's improved DOD relationship and &in general8 with the Embassy, but opined that there are ¬ enough tangibles8 delivered by the U.S. to Morocco. He complained about the &meager8 amounts of money invested in Morocco saying that USD 3-4 million was not sufficient (and less than what the GOM receives from Europe),but balked at the idea of an assessment to determine additional Moroccan needs saying that Morocco had been assessed repeatedly with minimal results. ¶12. (SBU) "The Ministry of the Interior lacks much basic equipment but has been well trained and does not require additional training, except in the area of cybercrime, which is a need," Zerouali stated. He expressed an interest in a conference focused on drug investigations, bringing together countries from South America and Asia to discuss their experiences in drug interdictions. He requested communication equipment and vehicles for use in drug interdiction activities, possibly through excess defense articles. Courses such as drug identification and field testing kits for security services along the border could be appropriate. Post notes that drugs from Morocco flow primarily to Europe. -------------- Mission Priorities for INL Funding -------------- ¶13. (SBU) The mission's priorities for future INL funding are as follows: -- Advisory assistance, through a legal advisor, on pre-trial diversion and alternative sentencing; -- Enhanced support for the Moroccan customs training facility in Casablanca, which would not only train Moroccans but also nationals from other countries, and would include advanced training courses in border management and protection, radioactive material interdiction, chemical weapons interdiction, collection and analysis of data concerning fraud, and passenger control and inspection, among others; -- Cybercrime prevention and training for law enforcement officials; -- A U.S. familiarization visit for Moroccan prison officials, and management training for prison administrators; -- Enhanced administration of justice training programs for future governors at the Ministry of Interior's training academy; and -- Further training for law enforcement officials in the areas of coast guard and border protection, anti-narcotics, organized crime, money laundering, drug identification and testing, and anti-trafficking. ¶14. (U) Primary mission point of contact is PolOff Siriana Nair at e-mail: nairsk@state.gov or tel. 212-537-668-064. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco ***************************************** Jackson