S/GC SPECIAL ENVOY MEETING WITH MOROCCAN AMBASSADOR ON

S E C R E T STATE 108370 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PTER KDRG AG LY MO TS SUBJECT: S/GC SPECIAL ENVOY MEETING WITH MOROCCAN AMBASSADOR ON RETURN OF GUANTANAMO DETAINEE REF: (A)RABAT 0125, (B)08 RABAT 0850, (C)08 RABAT 0370, (D) 05 STATE 38058 CLASSIFIED BY S/GC S/E DANIEL FRIED. REASONS 1.4 (B)& (D). ¶1. (S) SUMMARY - S/E for Closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility, Ambassador Daniel Fried, met with Moroccan Ambassador Aziz Mekouar on October 16 to inform Mekouar that Moroccan national Younis Abdurrahman Checkkouri (197),has been approved for transfer from Guantanamo to Morocco. The second Moroccan national, Abdulatif Nasr, remains under consideration for USG prosecution, though the GOM would be notified if that position changes. Fried requested Mekouar reconfirm GOM intention to prosecute Chekkouri, as well as reaffirmation of humane treatment assurances. He underscored the GOM requirement to undertake security monitoring of the detainees. Mekouar said he would obtain GOM confirmation on both counts next week. Responding to Mekouar's inquiry about other North African detainees, Fried said that Algerian, Libyan, and Tunisian nationals remain at Guantanamo. The U.S. in the past had repatriated nationals of other North African countries; Algerian and Moroccan repatriations had been successful in terms of humane treatment; Libyan and Tunisian repatriations had not. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (S) S/E for Closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility, Ambassador Daniel Fried, met with Moroccan Ambassador Aziz Mekouar at the former's request on October 16, to inform Mekouar that Moroccan national Younis Abdurrahman Checkkouri (197),has been approved for transfer from Guantanamo to Morocco. ¶3. (S) Fried recounted that the GOM had approached the U.S. in the early days of the new Administration to convey its readiness to receive the last two Moroccan detainees for the purpose of prosecution. GOM MFA CT interlocutor Karim Halim reached out to Post in February to discuss the return of Chekkouri, and Abdulatif Nasr, the second Moroccan national detained at Guantanamo (Ref A). Fried said that Nasr is currently under consideration for USG prosecution. Should the U.S. decide otherwise, Fried would notify Mekouar. These developments now remove the uncertainty surrounding the Moroccan detainees. Fried asked Mekouar to inform Halim that the U.S. took his approach very seriously, as demonstrated by the forward movement on Chekkouri. ¶4. (C) Fried said that the U.S. would like to reaffirm under the current Administration the GOM assurances (about humanitarian treatment) received previously in relation to earlier detainee repatriations. He added he was unaware of any problems related to humane treatment involving detainees previously returned to Morocco. Fried gave Mekouar a copy of the U.S. diplomatic note dated February 1, 2006. Mekouar recalled seeing the note at the time. If the note remained satisfactory to the GOM, Fried noted, there would be no need to revise the text. In addition to the humane treatment assurances, Fried underscored to Mekouar the security aspects of detainee return. The U.S. expected the GOM to undertake security monitoring of detainees returned from Guantanamo (Ref D). Mekouar understood, saying that at the end of the day, the detainees posed more of a threat to the GOM than to the U.S. ¶5. (C) Fried said that a key factor in the approval for Chekkouri's transfer is the understanding that the GOM seeks Chekkouri's return for prosecution. The U.S. would want to know if the GOM position on this matter had changed. ¶6. (S) Noting the 12 Moroccans already repatriated, Mekouar asked if there were detainees from other North African countries at Guantanamo and if some of those nationals already had been repatriated. Fried said there are detainees from Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya currently at Guantanamo. Fried noted Algeria and Morocco as countries which enjoyed successful repatriations in terms of humane treatment assurances and due process of the law. However, that was not the case with Tunisia and Libya. ¶7. (C) In closing, Fried said he awaited confirmation from Mekouar on GOM intention to prosecute Chekkouri upon return to Morocco, as well as feedback on the dip note. Mekouar said he expected to have a response next week. CLINTON