DASD HUDDLESTON AND ADMIRAL MOELLER DISCUSS

UNCLAS RABAT 000899 SENSITIVE C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (ADDED SENSITIVE CAPTION) SIPDIS STATE FOR S/CT, PM, NEA/RA AND AF/W DEFENSE FOR OSD - DASD FOR AFRICA HUDDLESTON JCS FOR J-5 GENERAL SMITH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MARR PREL PTER MASS MO SUBJECT: DASD HUDDLESTON AND ADMIRAL MOELLER DISCUSS COOPERATION WITH KEY MOROCCAN OFFICIALS ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa Huddleston, Africa Command Deputy Commander Vice Admiral Moeller, and Brigadier General Jefforey Smith from the Joint Staff met with senior Moroccan military and civilian officials on October 16 to discuss the challenges facing Africa and USG efforts to address those challenges. Transnational threats, especially from Al Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb in North Africa and the Sahel, figured prominently in the dialogue, but Moroccan leaders placed great emphasis on the importance of development and partnership with African countries. They warned that military might alone cannot defeat transnational threats. During the visit, the GOM provided a new text of the long-awaited Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA),and we appear even closer to being able to sign this. Finally, Moroccans highlighted interoperability with the U.S. and NATO. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (DASD) Ambassador Vicki J. Huddleston visited post October 15 ) 17, 2009, meeting with the Ambassador and members of the country team, as well as senior officials from the Kingdom of Morocco (KoM). These included the Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (CHOD) Lieutenant General Abdelaziz Bennani; Minister Delegate in the Office of the Prime Minister in Charge of National Defense Administration Mr. Abderrahmane Sbai; and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Ambassador Youssef Amrani. She was accompanied by Vice Admiral Robert T. Moeller, Deputy Commander for Military Operations, U.S. Africa Command, and Brigadier General Jefforey Smith, Deputy Director, Political-Military Affairs, Middle East Division, Joint Staff J-5. She highlighted U.S. government (USG) goals for Africa, presented Department of Defense (DoD) objectives and efforts in support of those goals, and received input from the country team and KoM officials on the same. ¶3. (SBU) At every stop DASD Huddleston underscored USG goals, as expressed in President Obama,s speeches in Cairo and Accra, as supporting democracy and the rule of law. She outlined DoD objectives and actions in support of those goals. These include: a. The maturation of Africa Command, a single combatant command dedicated to the support of U.S. defense policy and efforts on the continent of Africa. b. Africa Command,s efforts to build African nations capacity to defend against transnational threats, to include terrorism as manifested by Al Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM),Al Shabab, and Boko Haram in Nigeria. c. Bolstering civilian authority to combat threats to stability in Somalia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),and Darfur, Sudan. She complimented the clear authority and stability represented by the King of Morocco. d. Support to regional peacekeeping activities in the DRC and Liberia. e. Efforts to combat illegal activities, especially law enforcement and prison reform initiatives. f. Protection of natural resources. ¶4. (SBU) DASD Huddleston, fresh from a visit to France, advanced the French perception of AQIM as the principal terrorist threat to France, as well as their philosophy of &leading from the side8 in engagement activity in Mauritania and Mali in an effort to empower the Governments of Mauritania and Mali to protect themselves. While she solicited Moroccan views and interest in incorporating the two countries into mutual defense of their borders, she did not receive a direct answer. -------------- LTG BENNANI -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The DASD,s meeting with LTG Bennani was cordial and high level, serving to introduce the senior members of the American and Moroccan defense delegation to each other in advance of the December 1-3, 2009 Defense Consultative Committee in Washington, D.C. However, Bennani refused to answer questions directly, deferring to the king,s authority as Chief of Staff of the Royal Armed Forces. Nonetheless, he touched on several themes: a. He favorably acknowledged the creation and role of Africa Command, and noted that while it was still young its strategic vision is rational. b. He favorably acknowledged President Obama,s vision and understanding of geo-politics, and posited that while the USG confronts many issues on the African continent, the strategic importance of Morocco will help yield positive results. c. He spoke favorably of the future of the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA),and the potential acquisition of the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, equating it to the recent acquisition of the Chaparral III anti-aircraft system. d. He stated that Morocco wants to be viewed as a strategic partner to the U.S. and that, while it is not Morocco,s way to exhaust the partnership by continually asking for more resources, the understanding of a friend will go a long way to sustaining current acquisitions, such as properly bedding down the F-16 when it arrives in 2011. e. He stated that the Royal Armed Forces seek greater integration and interoperability with U.S. armed forces, noting the Moroccan role alongside U.S. and coalition forces in Desert Storm and the Balkans, and positing that they could have been used to greater advantage in Somalia if they had been able to more closely integrate with U.S. forces. And f. He reinforced the mission of the Royal Armed Forces as protection of the borders, and likened the border of Morocco with Mauritania to the border of the U.S. with Mexico. -------------- MINISTER-DELEGATE SBAI -------------- ¶6. (SBU) DASD Huddleston,s meeting with Minister-Delegate Sbai was upbeat, with the Minister touching on a wide variety of topics. Among them: a. The Royal Armed Forces enjoy excellent relations with their American counterparts, to include training, exercising, and equipping. b. He appreciates the distinction, and the prestige, of the decision to afford a Defense Consultative Committee to Morocco. c. He repeated the Royal Armed Forces, mission was protecting Morocco from external threats, and that the King has charged him to assure that the forces have the capacity to defend the Kingdom. He put the acquisition and development of that capacity into context, however, as being balanced with reforms and development in other spheres of life: religious, political, economic and social. He noted that these activities all have to proceed apace but that priority will always be given by the King to the human dimension, that Morocco will not be a beggar, and that the King understands that broad development will ultimately be the best guarantor of peace. And d. He underscored the role of women in protecting broadly against extremism, noting that the King had formally introduced the concept of women as preachers, and positing that women were generally the more trustworthy and stalwart pillars of Islamic society. e. In the context of discussing regional cooperation, he noted that Morocco had provided training to a number of African countries. -------------- FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND COOPERATION -------------- ¶7. (SBU) DASD Huddleston concluded her meetings with a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, where she met Ambassador Amrani, Chief of Staff Ambassador Nasser Bourita and Director of African Affairs Abdellatif Bendahane. The trio acknowledged the reinvigorated relationship of the U.S. with the Arab and African world and presented a positive image of a Morocco on the move, leading effort in the region and the continent. Ambassador Amrani declared, &Your security is our security.8 Other key points included: a. Work with the U.S. in the United Nations, in combating terror, and in conducting free trade. b. The difficulties of working in Africa, especially respecting the sovereignty and sensibilities of every country, and the challenges of illegal immigration, piracy, and drug use. c. The ineffectiveness of the Arab Maghreb Union, and the need for member countries to work together to make it effective. d. A Moroccan vision for Africa that is optimistic (vice the traditional western view of the continent as troubled); multi-dimensional to include human rights and peace; and action-oriented, noting the Kingdom,s accomplishments in establishing bilateral agreements under the current King, the national airline,s expansion of service, the Kingdom,s support to Francophone Africa in the form of educational scholarships, agriculture, medicine, telecommunications, the environmental initiatives. They further underscored the Kingdom,s direct contributions to security in the form of combating terrorism, narcotics/contraband/human trafficking, and peacekeeping, noting that the UN is increasingly returning to countries where they have been before. Morocco is cooperating with 22 African countries on counternarcotics, disarmament, migration, piracy, and conflict resolution. Morocco,s European partners are overly focused on migration. e. Combating AQIM requires a multidimensional approach. One must work in both the political and religious spheres, said Amrani. Middle East peace is an essential part of the equation, and Morocco,s moderate, modern Islam could provide a valuable model in contrast to Shi,ism. And f. The desire to expand the relationship with NATO. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (SBU) In sum, DASD Huddleston,s visit reinforced the excellent relationship between the two nations, defense establishments and governments. She was able to repeat the USG,s message of engagement with the Arab and African worlds, assure a stable and long-term partner in the region of America,s continued commitment to its security and prosperity, and solicit feedback and listen to KoM views on America,s role in the region and the kingdom,s ability to work with the USG. The visit created excellent momentum for the DCC in December, which should serve to facilitate productiveness between the two nations over the next 18 months. END COMMENT. ¶9. (U) DASD Huddleston has cleared this message. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco ***************************************** Kaplan