SCENESETTER FOR THE SECRETARY'S VISIT TO MOROCCO

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000865

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR S, P, NEA, NEA/PI, NEA/PPD AND NEA/MAG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2019
TAGS: OVIP PREL PHUM ECON MASS KWMN KPAL WI MO
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR THE SECRETARY'S VISIT TO MOROCCO

REF: A. RABAT 0719

B. RABAT 0604

C. RABAT 0374

D. RABAT 0678

E. RABAT 0859

Classified By: Ambassador Samuel L. Kaplan for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Secretary Clinton, we look forward to your
return to Morocco. Since your visits as First Lady, and in
particular in the ten years since King Mohammed VI ascended
to the throne, the Kingdom has made great strides in
promoting gender equality, sound economic principles, and
religious tolerance. Your visit can lend valuable support to
Morocco's ambitious reforms in the fields of justice and
women's empowerment, encourage continued improvements in
human rights, and highlight U.S. support for the Morocco's
continued development. The status of the Western Sahara
dominates the Government of Morocco's (GOM's) foreign policy,
and public expectations are high that, during your visit, you
will openly support Morocco,s autonomy plan for the
territory. END SUMMARY.

REFORM
--------------

2. (SBU) Through an ambitious and continuous program of
reforms, Morocco has become a leader in the Arab world in the
fields of justice and women's empowerment. Major advances
include the Arab world's first truth commission, a revised
Family Code granting expanded legal rights to women, and
growing government transparency and accountability. As a
result of support from the Palace, Morocco now has more
elected women officials than any other Arab country and has
dramatically increased the visibility of women as leaders and
policy makers (Ref B). Women also serve as religious
leaders, educating women about their newly won legal rights
and promoting a moderate and inclusive Islam (Ref C).


3. (SBU) Recognizing that a weak judicial system remains an
impediment to broader development and reform efforts, the
King has called for a comprehensive overhaul of the judiciary
(Ref A),including upgrading and expanding courts, increasing
the number of judges, and raising the standards of training
for judges and other legal professionals in Morocco. The GOM
has made efforts to address corruption, creating a Central
Commission for the Prevention of Corruption and prosecuting
government officials complicit in drug trafficking and other
offenses. Support and encouragement from partners like the
United States is essential to ensure that such reforms, still
not deeply rooted in law or Constitution, continue.

ECONOMY
--------------

4. (SBU) The economy is relatively healthy, with growth
expected to exceed five percent this year, but marred by
increasing disparities in wealth. Morocco escaped direct
damage from the financial crisis in 2008, but its balance of
payments has suffered through the recession in Europe, the
most important destination for Morocco's exports and primary
source of tourists and remittances. Since the 2006
implementation of our Free Trade Agreement (FTA),U.S.
exports to Morocco have tripled, and Moroccan exports to the
U.S. have almost doubled. U.S. firms are increasing their
investments in Morocco, as they see the FTA develop new
markets. The Department of Commerce's Commercial Law
Development Program and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency
conduct capacity-building and technical assistance projects
to assist Morocco in creating an open and transparent
business environment and developing fully its trading and
investment potential.

U.S. ASSISTANCE
--------------

5. (SBU) U.S. assistance to Morocco is focused on four
priorities: economic growth, counterterrorism, democracy and
governance, and supporting quality education. This
assistance takes the form of a USAID mission with a budget of
USD 18 million, the world's second largest Peace Corps
program with 210 volunteers, the Millennium Challenge
Corporation's (MCC's) second largest Compact, and a variety
of Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) projects. USAID
supports Morocco's reform efforts in democracy and
governance, economic growth (principally agriculture),and
education. The five-year, USD 697.5 million MCC Compact
supports five major projects selected for their potential to
increase productivity and improve employment in high
potential sectors of Morocco's economy: Fruit Tree
Productivity, Small Scale Fisheries, Crafts, Financial
Services, and Enterprise Support. MEPI programs include
training for women political candidates in 2009's local
elections (during which women's representation increased from
0.3 percent to over 12 percent),governance training for
newly elected women politicians, breast cancer awareness,
support for civil society and youth organizations, technical
assistance to meet environmental obligations under the FTA,
and support for far-reaching financial sector and central
bank reforms through the Financial Services Volunteer Corps.
Other USG-funded projects support the GOM's nascent judicial
reform program, anti-corruption efforts (with the American
Bar Association),and prison reform to counter extremism.

HUMAN RIGHTS
--------------

6. (C) Despite some setbacks, Morocco has significantly
improved its human rights record over the last ten years and
should be encouraged to continue this course. Morocco has
actively sought to address past human rights abuses,
including torture, with the goal of preventing future
violence and restoring dignity to victims. Freedom of the
press has expanded significantly, but restrictions remain,
and those who challenge them can suffer heavy fines, libel
judgments and more rarely, jail (Ref D). Morocco's press
code permits the Government to seize publications that
threaten public order or show a lack of respect for the royal
family or Islam.


7. (C) Political freedoms have grown as well, but diverging
from the GOM's position on the Western Sahara, or questioning
the legitimacy of the monarchy or the Malikite rite of Sunni
Islam, remains unacceptable. The human rights situation in
the Western Sahara is similar to the situation in Morocco
proper, with a reduction in serious violations and some
increases in political openness. Known police abusers have
been transferred out of the territory and those left behind
increasingly respect human rights standards. Harassment of
some independence activists continues.

MILITARY
--------------

8. (SBU) The Moroccan military has undertaken a sweeping
effort to modernize its antiquated military force. U.S.
Foreign Military Sales to this Major Non-NATO Ally exceed USD
3 billion, led by Morocco's purchase of F-16 and T-6
aircraft. Modernization further strengthens the Moroccan
military by continuing and expanding exposure to U.S.
doctrine, tactics, techniques, procedures and personnel,
increasing the Moroccan military's positive contributions to
maintaining regional stability, combating terrorism and
extremism, and responding to threats to peace and security.
The Mission is working with the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Cooperation to finalize a Moroccan role in the
Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI),including a peace
operations training center in Morocco.

THE WESTERN SAHARA
--------------

9. (C) The status of the Western Sahara dominates Morocco's
foreign policy to the exclusion of almost everything else.
Even ties with Western Europe and the U.S. are built upon
countries' support for Morocco's autonomy proposal. Until
2009, the U.S. vocally supported this proposal, which had
been carefully negotiated with the Bush Administration.
Expectations are high that during your visit, the U.S. will
once again publicly support Morocco's plan for autonomy, and
highlight the GOM's significant accomplishments in the
Western Sahara. You should certainly voice support for the
UN effort to achieve a settlement and for Ambassador
Christopher Ross, the UN Secretary General,s Personal Envoy.


10. (C) Morocco has invested tremendous resources in the
territory, and some observers estimate that it spends USD 2.7
billion per year on the Western Sahara and its 385,000
residents. The level of development and social services
clearly exceeds the level in Morocco proper. Extensive
interviews in the territory suggest that the principal goal
of most Sahrawis is self-government rather than
self-determination; a desire for protection and identity
instead of independence. The small vocally pro-Polisario
minority, including many of the human rights activists,
formerly enjoyed the support of the "silent majority" of
these Sahrawis, particularly during periods of repression.
Development and improved observance of human rights have
reduced this support. Most Sahrawis in the territory have
been intrigued by the prospect of autonomy (Ref E).

MIDDLE EAST PEACE
--------------

11. (C) Morocco can play an important, if secondary, role in
Middle East Peace efforts, and will be eager to discuss this
topic with you and Special Envoy Mitchell. The GOM is
supportive of the Annapolis Process, has been a strong backer
of President Abbas, and is perhaps the sole Arab state to
refuse any dealings with HAMAS. It also has cordial, open
and high-level, if irregular, contacts with Israeli
officials. Moroccan Jews living in Israel, many of whom
support Likud, maintain strong ties to Morocco. However,
internal anger over last year's Israeli actions in Gaza
forced the GOM and Palace to scale back their public
engagement with Israel although back-channel communication
continues. The King, as Chairman of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference's Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Committee, is in a
position to use his influence and good offices to positive
effect, although his engagement through that committee has
been inconsistent.

EMBASSY MANAGEMENT ISSUES
--------------

12. (SBU) This Mission of 380 urgently needs to construct a
New Embassy Compound (NEC) in Rabat and new Consulate General
in Casablanca. We own the land for the NEC, but we still
need the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to confirm approval of
our request to build a three-storey NEC. We would like to
purchase one of two identified sites in Casablanca for the
new Consulate General, and are similarly awaiting government
approval for the purchase.


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