VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #0358 0591655
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281655Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2938
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 3755
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 2789
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 2994
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4020
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 8641
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 1306
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0461
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0927

UNCLAS RABAT 000358 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC MO PBTS PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: WESTERN SAHARA:  SAHRAWI CLAIMS POLISARIO HOLDS AN 
AMERICAN PRISONER 
 
 
¶1.  This cable is sensitive by unclassified.  Please treat 
accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Poloff recently met with Dahi Akai, President of 
the Association of Those Who Disappeared by the Polisario. 
Akai presented a letter in Arabic for the Secretary 
requesting assistance for an American allegedly held in a 
Polisario prison with Akai as late as 1980.  Post has no 
information to substantiate Akai's claim of any American held 
by the Polisario, including from recently released Moroccan 
prisoners of war.  Though we find the story odd, we forward 
it nevertheless to the attention of the Department. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Begin Embassy translation of the letter: 
 
I feel unable to enumerate the number of crimes that the 
Polisario committed against our own people.  Madame 
Secretary, an America citizen by the name of Joseph who 
 
SIPDIS 
worked on the staff of the former UN Secretary General Kurt 
Waldheim's, is still missing.  Mr. Joseph was one of my cell 
mates at one of the Polisario prisons, Prison al-Rachid, and 
he was subjected to torture and humiliation. 
 
Madame Secretary, we send letters to all American delegations 
that come to visit us in Laayoune and we sent a letter to the 
US Embassy in Rabat on the same issue. 
 
Madame Secretary, we have two requests.  First, we ask you to 
continue looking for Mr. Joseph and address an official 
request to the Polisario leadership on the whereabouts of 
this American citizen.  Second, we ask you to ban Mohammed 
Abdelaziz, the well known torturer and Secretary General of 
the Polisario and who, under the pretext of political work, 
committed humanitarian crimes and who is responsible for the 
disappearance of more than 800 Sahrawis in Polisario prisons, 
from visiting American territory or bring him before the 
international court of justice in accordance with resolutions 
of Amnesty International and in accordance with the 
democratic values of your great country. 
 
Best Regards, 
 
Dahi Akai 
President of the Association 
Laayoune 
February 7, 2006 
 
End Embassy translation of the letter. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  According to Akai, Joseph was adjacent to him in 
prison and told him he was an American.  Akai also said that 
he had talked to other American diplomats in the past and had 
spoken to the Spanish concerning Joseph; however, he did not 
mention having discussed this case with the UN or having any 
contact with Americans looking for a missing person.  Joseph 
could not speak French or Arabic and only some Spanish.  In 
spite of this, the two men became friends and promised to 
help each other.  Akai described their communication system 
as whispering through walls when guards were not nearby. 
Physically, Joseph was a tall man and in his thirties 
according to Akai.  He also said that there were many 
prisoners of different nationalities, including French and 
Spanish, held at one time by the Polisario.  In 1980, Akai 
was released from prison and pledged to Joseph that he would 
fight for his release.  When asked if anyone else had known 
Joseph in prison or seen him after 1980, Akai said he would 
discuss Joseph with other former prisoners in Laayoune and 
contact Poloff. 
 
 
****************************************** 
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat 
****************************************** 
 
Riley