1992 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

UNCLAS RABAT 011918 DEPARTMENT FOR S/CT FOR REAP E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR TAGS: PTER MO SUBJECT: 1992 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT REF: STATE 338430 ¶1. POST RESPONSES ARE KEYED TO QUESTIONS LISTED IN REFTEL PARA ¶5. ¶A. WE ARE AWARE OF NO HOST GOVERNMENT PROSECUTIONS INVOLVING INTERNATIONAL OR DOMESTIC TERRORISM IN 1992. ¶B. WE KNOW OF NO EXTRADITIONS OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS THAT WERE CARRIED OUT OR REQUESTED IN 1992. ¶C. THERE ARE NO IMPEDIMENTS TO GOM PROSECUTIONS OF TERRORISTS. MOROCCO DOES NOT HAVE AN EXTRADITION TREATY WITH THE U.S., BUT WOULD LIKELY COOPERATE ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS WITH ANY REQUEST FOR THE EXTRADITION OF A TERRORIST. ¶D. THE GOM HAS CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED A WILLINGNESS TO RESPOND TO SECURITY CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY THOSE INVOLVING POTENTIAL TERRORIST THREATS. IN GENERAL, HOWEVER, THE GOM PREFERS TO HANDLE THESE ISSUES QUIETLY AND DOES NOT ISSUE PUBLIC STATEMENTS ON SECURITY ISSUES. IN APRIL 1992 MOROCCAN REPRESENTATIVES TO THE UNSC DID PUBLICLY CONDEMN THE ATTACK BY AN ORGANIZED MOB ON THE VENEZUELAN EMBASSY IN TRIPOLI, WHICH FOLLOWED THE PASSAGE OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL (UNSC) RESOLUTION ¶731. AT THE SAME TIME, HOWEVER, THE GOM REPRESENTATIVES URGED THAT THE UNSC TAKE NOTE OF LIBYAN PROMISES TO BRING TO JUSTICE THOSE RESPONSIBLE, PROVIDE COMPENSATION AND OFFER PROTECTION IN THE FUTURE. IN SEPTEMBER 1992 THE MOROCCAN PRESS REPORTED THAT THE GOM HAD PROTESTED TO SUDANESE AUTHORITIES (AUG/SEP 92) THE PRESENCE OF MOROCCAN OPPOSITION ELEMENTS IN SUPPOSED IRANIAN BACKED TERRORIST TRAINING CAMPS IN SUDAN. ¶E. THE GOM PARTICIPATES AS AN OBSERVER IN THE ANNUAL MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE OF THE TREVI GROUP. THE U.S. AND MOROCCO MAINTAIN AN ONGOING BILATERAL DIALOGUE ON COUNTER-TERRORISM ISSUES. ¶F. THE GOM DOES NOT SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, EITHER RHETORICALLY OR MATERIALLY. MOROCCANS ARE ALWAYS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT NO TERRORIST INCIDENT HAS EVER OCCURRED IN MOROCCO. MOROCCO STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE PALESTINIANS' CLAIM TO SELF- DETERMINATION AND CONSIDERS THE PLO THE LEGITIMATE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. MOROCCO HAS LONG WORKED TO MODERATE THE PLO, HOWEVER, AND SUPPORTS A PEACEFUL, NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT OF THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT. MOROCCO HAS REGULAR HIGH-LEVEL CONTACT WITH THE PLO LEADERSHIP. THE GOM ENCOURAGES THE PLO TO LIVE UP TO ITS COMMITMENT TO RENOUNCE TERRORISM AND PARTICIPATE FULLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS. ¶G. THE GOM HAS NOT MADE ANY PUBLIC STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF CUBA, IRAN, IRAQ, NORTH KOREA OR SYRIA ON TERRORISM ISSUES. NEITHER HAS THE GOM EVER MADE PUBLIC STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF LIBYA ON TERRORISM ISSUES, BUT THE GOM HAS OFTEN STATED ITS BELIEF THAT LIBYA HAS REFORMED ITS WAYS AND ABANDONED SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM, AND THAT THE U.S. AND U.K. SHOULD ENTER INTO DIALOGUE WITH LIBYA. MOROCCO ABSTAINED FROM THE UNSC'S VOTE ON RESOLUTION 731 ON 31 MARCH 1992 AND APPARENTLY RAISED NO OBJECTIONS TO THE MAGHREB ARAB UNION'S NOVEMBER 11 SUMMIT COMMUNIQUE CONTAINING LANGUAGE URGING THE UNSC TO "RECONSIDER" ITS SANCTIONS STANCE AGAINST LIBYA. ¶H. THERE HAVE BEEN NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ATTITUDE ON THE PART OF THE GOM SINCE 1991. IT REMAINS OPPOSED TO TERRORISM. ¶I. MOROCCO IS LINKED TO LIBYA BY BOTH COUNTRIES'S MEMBERSHIP IN THE ARAB MAGHREB UNION, AS WELL AS BY EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL TIES. PARTLY BECAUSE OF THESE TIES, THE GOM HAS SOUGHT THE LIFTING OF SANCTIONS WHILE AT THE SAME TIME FOLLOWING MOST OF THEM. WE RECALL THAT LAST JANUARY, MOROCCO AS A UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBER, VOTED FOR THE SANCTIONS RESOLUTION AGAINST LIBYA. ALL FLIGHTS BETWEEN MOROCCO AND LIBYA CEASED AS OF 15 APRIL. THE LIBYAN AIRLINES OFFICE IN CASABLANCA REMAINS OPEN, BUT DOES NOT SELL TICKETS OR BOOK RESERVATIONS TO LIBYA. THE LIBYAN DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE (18 LIBYAN DIPLOMATS AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL) IN RABAT, HOWEVER, HAS NOT BEEN REDUCED. APPARENTLY THE GOM IS CONCERNED THAT AN EFFORT TO FORCE A REDUCTION IN THE LIBYAN DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE WOULD RESULT IN LIBYAN RETALIATION, WHICH WOULD IN TURN IMPACT ON THE GOM'S ABILITY TO PROTECT MOROCCAN RESIDENTS IN LIBYA. (COMMENT: THE GOM CLAIMS THAT THERE ARE CA. 100,000 MOROCCANS LIVING IN LIBYA.) VREELAND.