MOROCCO AND BURKINA FASO CONSULTATIONS ON GUINEA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 000034 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF, AF/W, NEA, NEA/MAG AND INR/AA E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2020 TAGS: PINS PGOV MARR PREL MO UV GV SUBJECT: MOROCCO AND BURKINA FASO CONSULTATIONS ON GUINEA REF: A. RABAT 0022 ¶B. RABAT 0008 RABAT 00000034 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: DCM Robert Jackson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Moroccan Director General for Studies and Documentation (DGED) Mansouri met with President Compaore, Guinean General Konate and Guinean Captain Dadis Camara in Ouagadougou on January 18. According to a senior Moroccan MFA official, Mansouri assured Compoare that the GOM appreciated his efforts to mediate the crisis in Guinea and asked him to take a softer stance toward Konate as the leader of the Guinea transition. To Konate, he offered Moroccan political and material support for the transition. And to Dadis, Mansouri promised continued Moroccan medical assistance throughout his convalescence, but also strongly dissuaded him from returning to Rabat. Looking to next steps, the GOM urged the USG not to "rush" the International Criminal Court's investigation, noting that while Morocco does not condone "impunity" for the crimes that occurred in Conakry, it also fears that an early ICC warrant for Dadis Camara's arrest could destabilize the Guinea transition. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On January 18, Ambassador Nasser Bourita, Director General for Multilateral Relations and Chief of Staff to Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri, offered DCM and PolCouns a readout of Moroccan director of external intelligence and national security advisor equivalent) Mohammed Yassine Mansouri's trip to Ouagadougou. During his January 18 visit, Mansouri met separately with Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore, Guinean General Sekouba Konate, and Captian Moussa Dadis Camara. -------------- Morocco's Messages in Ouagadougou -------------- ¶3. (C) Mansouri delivered three separate messages to each of his interlocutors, Bourita told us. First, he sought to reassure Compaore that Rabat greatly appreciated his personal efforts to mediate the Guinea crisis, his close coordination with Morocco, and Burkina Faso's willingness to receive Dadis. Alluding to the Moroccan MFA's bitterness over its perception that Compaore may have torpedoed French, Moroccan and U.S. efforts to find an African country to accept Dadis for resettlement -- and apparent Burkinabe anger at Rabat's abrupt decision to send him by medical plane to Ouagadougou (Ref A) -- Bourita said that Mansouri also calmed the waters with Compaore and secured agreement for continued future cooperation. Finally, Mansouri urged Compaore to "reflect a bit" on his initial distrust of Konate, and to realize that, given the circumstances and poor alternatives, he was not necessarily a bad choice to lead the Guinean transition. ¶4. (C) In discussions with Konate, Mansouri assured him that the GOM fully supported his efforts to lead the transition and brainstormed with him as to what Morocco's most effective roles might be, Bourita reported. Mansouri noted that Morocco would be willing to offer materiel, funding and observers for elections; economic and development assistance to build water, electricity and other infrastructure; and, in coordination with the U.S. and France, assistance in rehabilitating and modernizing the armed forces. ¶5. (C) As for Dadis, Mansouri promised that Moroccan physicians would be with him throughout his convalescence in Ouagadougou, and that during that time the GOM would continue allow his wife and children, who remain in Rabat, to stay at Morocco,s expense. Dadis suggested that he wished to return to Morocco, Bourita said; however, Mansouri strongly dissuaded him. The GOM would send as many medical personnel RABAT 00000034 002.2 OF 002 as necessary to Burkina Faso, Bourita added, but it would not accept Dadis' return. "Since Dadis cannot come to Rabat, Rabat will go to Dadis," he said with a smile. -------------- Don't Rush the ICC -------------- ¶6. (C) Looking forward, Bourita warmly welcomed the opportunity for Morocco to continue working closely with the U.S. and France on Guinea's transition. The GOM likewise welcomed the ICC's eventual investigation and likely issuance of an arrest order for Dadis. However, he cautioned, the GOM did not wish to see the ICC process result in additional instability in Guinea. "Camara is unstable, and therefore dangerous," he said; for this reason, France and the U.S. should take care not to "rush" the ICC process. Morocco does not support or accept impunity for Dadis, Bourita emphasized, but France, the U.S., Morocco and their African partners "need to move at a rate that is in harmony with one another and that does not disturb the process." He added that in addition to Mansouri's message to this effect in Ouagadougou, the MFA was reiterating it to France, Gabon and Nigeria, among others. Finally, Bourita said that the GOM looked forward to receiving an invitation from the African Union to attend the international contact group on Guinea,s January 26 meeting in Addis Ababa. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco ***************************************** KAPLAN