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PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHCL #0737 1801429
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 291429Z JUN 06
FM AMCONSUL CASABLANCA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6891
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 2812
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0477
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 7629
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 1937

C O N F I D E N T I A L CASABLANCA 000737 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/MAG 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2016 
TAGS: MO PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: ISLAMIST PARLIAMENTARIAN OFFERS REGARDS BUT NO 
MEETING 
 
 
Classified By: Principal Officer Douglas C. Greene for reasons 1.4 (b) 
and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) In recent weeks we have been meeting with Casablanca- 
based political party leaders to take the temperature in 
Morocco,s largest city on political preparations for the 
2007 
Moroccan Parliamentary elections.  When we called for an 
appointment with  Parliamentarian and Party of Justice and 
Development (PJD) hard-liner Mustapha Ramid, ConGen 
Casablanca 
received a hearty "no thank you."  On June 16, LES, having a 
prior acquaintance with Ramid, called to request a meeting 
with 
the Consul General.  Ramid said that there was no need for 
a meeting and that he refused to meet with any American 
officials until the U.S. is out of Iraq. 
 
¶2.  (C) During the conversation Ramid said that he 
recognized the U.S. as a great power and claimed he had 
enormous respect for the country and its people.  He felt, 
however, that under the Bush administration America had 
"committed many crimes against Arabs and Muslims" and had 
acted with "no human feelings and no mercy."  LES pointed 
out to Ramid that the meeting would be an opportunity to 
discuss the issues and express his concerns directly to an 
American official.  Ramid's response was that he was sure 
the meeting would be unproductive as had been most of his 
meetings with American journalists and representatives of 
independent American organizations.  Ramid quickly closed 
the conversation with "My dear brother, please tell his 
Excellency that I am sorry and that I will knock on his 
door once the Americans leave Iraq."  (Comment:  Ramid was 
abrasive when he attended a reception hosted by the Mission 
in 2004, but his boycott of U.S. officials is a fairly 
recent development. He similarly boycotted his own party,s 
conference on U.S.-Morocco relations in April, to which the 
PJD invited Polcouns to speak. End Comment.) 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Ramid's decision not the meet with any American 
officials contrasts with the actions of PJD Secretary General 
Saadeddine Othmani, who recently visited Washington and 
remains open and friendly with emboffs.  In fact, Ramid's 
reaction to Othmani,s U.S. visit has been somewhat 
controversial. 
During a recent appearance on Al Jazira's program "Hiwar 
Maftouh" 
or Open Dialogue, Ramid fell just short of openly criticizing 
Othmani for making the journey.  He diplomatically judged 
the voyage to be "inopportune considering America's 
position regarding Iraq and Palestine." 
 
¶4.  (C) In the same broadcast Ramid reinforced his hard 
line credentials, by raising taboo subjects such as 
constitutional reform, new roles for Parliament and the King, 
and the need for a redistribution of power.  His interest 
in more rapid reform, however, may be only skin deep.  In 
2000 
Mustapha Ramid organized a demonstration in Casablanca 
against the Moudawana, arguing that the new family code is 
against Islamic principles.  He argued that doing away with 
the 
practice of polygamy is unwise since it is an acceptable 
way "to regulate the problem of extra-marital affairs or 
cope with an ill or infertile wife." 
 
¶5.  (C) Comment:  Always outspoken and often controversial 
Mustapha Ramid is none the less an important voice in the 
PJD.   After the 2002 elections he was chosen as his 
party's caucus leader in the Lower Chamber.  Because of his 
hard-line stance, however, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) 
pressed the PJD to find a more suitable replacement. 
Currently, 
he is the chair of the Parliament,s Human Rights Committee 
and 
enjoys a high level support within his party, even if his 
selection as caucus leader was overturned.   Ramid,s 
comment, in a recent interview with international Arabic 
language newspaper Acharq Al-Aswat, that "the majority of the 
PJD has not changed its opinions (criticisms) of America" in 
light of Othmani,s recent America visit indicates that 
there is no consensus within the party on at least some major 
issues.  End Comment. 
GREENE