TZIPI LIVNI,S VISIT TO MOROCCO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 000931 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG AND NEA/IPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2029 TAGS: PREL PGOV PNAT KPAL XF IS MO SUBJECT: TZIPI LIVNI,S VISIT TO MOROCCO REF: RABAT 0864 (NOTAL) Classified By: Political Counselor Gregory Thome for reasons 1.4 (b) an d (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Moroccan Foreign Minister Fassi Fihri met with Israel's Tzipi Livni Nov. 20 in Tangier and emphasized three points: (1) Livni's Kadima Party ought continue to push the Netanyahu government toward peace negotiations even though it faces an uphill battle as an opposition party; (2) previous negotiations -- initiated while Livni was in government -- ought to be the basis of talks in the future instead of beginning from scratch; and (3) Arab leaders need to make a better case for their peace proposals directly to the Israeli public if they hope to reduce Israeli radicals' influence on the peace process. The GOM also expressed strong support for Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell. Livni,s presence in Morocco prompted some street protests and heavy press criticism from Moroccan Islamists, but the GOM managed the domestic controversy well and again highlighted its quiet diplomacy on the peace process. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Israeli Kadima Party leader and former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni visited Tangier November 19-21 to participate in MEDdays, an international affairs symposium organized by the Amadeus Institute, a nascent Moroccan NGO. Amadeus President Brahim Fassi Fihri is the son of Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri, and there is no doubt that the Moroccan MFA played a role in ensuring that Livni figured among the Israelis invited to the conference. FM Fassi Fihri traveled to Tangier to open the event and met with Livni, among others, on the margins. On November 24, Ambassador Nasser Bourita, Moroccan MFA Chief of Staff and Director for Multilateral Relations and Global Coopeation, gave a readout to PolCouns, Poloff and a visiting Staffdel from House Committee on Foreign Affairs. -------------- Peace Negotiations Must Resume -------------- ¶3. (C) Fassi Fihri told Livni that the Kadima Party should not retreat from pressing for peace with the Palestinians, reported Bourita. Kadima and Livni needed to put their "moral authority" on the table to push for renewed negotiations despite the difficult political situation she faced as an opposition member, he added. Bourita opined that Livni appeared reluctant to use Kadima's weight to press for renewed peace talks, given the difficult domestic political environment it faces currently. Nevertheless, Fassi Fihri had emphasized that what former Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas had already achieved (while Livni was in government) ought to be the starting point for future negotiations rather than beginning from scratch after each Israeli election. -------------- Influencing Israeli Public Opinion -------------- ¶4. (C) Fassi Fihri also underscored that Arab leaders needed to not only try to play to Arab public opinion, but must begin trying to influence Israeli public opinion as well. Fassi Fihri said that the Arab peace initiative was put together as "a consensus for the Arabs. We never sold it to the Israelis," Bourita reported. Fassi Fihri further stressed that no Arab country had tried to make clear to the Israeli public how vital peace is to everyone. The result, in the Moroccan analysis, is that radicals in Israel have gained traction, because no coherent Arab arguments have reached -- and empowered -- Israeli moderates. Arabs should not complain about the ascendency of Israelis like Foreign Minister Lieberman when they have done nothing to outline other options in a way that the wider, more moderate Israeli public can digest. -------------- Strong Support for U.S. Peace Efforts -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Separately, in response to a Staffdel Silverberg question, Bourita expressed Morocco's strong support for Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell. "Mitchell is the right man and he's on the right track, although the situation on the ground is difficult," Bourita said. Mitchell enjoys enormous respect and credibility thoughout the region. Moreover, he also has something no previous envoy had enjoyed: a clear and determined mission -- which Arab leaders accept and support -- that comes RABAT 00000931 002 OF 002 directly from the U.S. President. Bourita underscored that Mitchell was "the only hope for Middle East peace at this time, because nothing will come out of Israel or Gaza or Cairo or the other Arab states," -- or even out of Europe or the Quartet -- without the Obama administration's direct and forward-leaning engagement. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) Inviting Livni to the MEDays conference and awarding the Amadeus Institute,s annual Peace Prize to Senator Mitchell are part of Morocco's strategy of quiet diplomacy on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Even with Moroccan Islamists protesting loudly, as approximately 150 did outside of the MEDays conference, Morocco managed its domestic controversy well and also offered an opportunity not only for Livni to debate issues with regional leaders, but also the GOM to continue to show that it can be counted on to make small but positive contribution to the peace process. ¶7. (C) We believe that the Amadeus Institute,s decision to award its peace prize to Senator Mitchell was actually decided at the highest levels of the GOM. Moreover, reaction to Mitchell,s videotaped message was overwhelmingly positive. End Comment. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco ***************************************** JACKSON