VZCZCXRO2851
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHRB #0337/01 0520900
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210900Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5891
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 000337 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA, NEA/MAG, NEA/PPD, AND R 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EAID KPAO MO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR REACHES OUT TO REMOTE CORNERS OF MOROCCO 
 
¶1. Summary: The Ambassador conducted a series of outreach 
visits across Morocco January 31 - February 7.  Taking 
advantage of the one-week availability of a USG C-12 
aircraft, the Ambassador travelled "off the beaten path" to 
Errachidia, Figuig, and Oujda in the east, Al-Hoceima in the 
north, and Ouarzazate in the southeast.  At each site, the 
Ambassador met with local officials and local NGO leaders, 
and greeted private citizens.  The visits highlighted USG 
partnerships with local governments and civil society to 
promote rural economic and social development.  Though 
anti-USG groups demonstrated twice and called for "boycotts" 
of the Ambassador's events, we drew considerable favorable 
coverage in local and national print and broadcast media -- 
out of 29 total media placements, two were negative and 27 
were positive or neutral.  End summary. 
 
-------------------- 
An Outreach Blitz... 
-------------------- 
 
¶2. In early January, the Ambassador planned a series of 
outreach visits to parts of Morocco "off the beaten path." 
He took advantage of the availability of a C-12 aircraft 
based at the USDAO in Ghana to reach out to areas far from 
the Rabat-Casablanca corridor, some without regular 
commercial air access.  The visits allowed the Ambassador an 
opportunity for direct consultation with provincial governors 
and other local government leaders as well as interaction in 
the field with Moroccan civil society organization (CSO) 
partners and U.S. Peace Corps volunteers.  The Ambassador 
made numerous visits to the sites of USG-funded projects 
targeting rural illiteracy, youth activity centers, 
employment generation, and agricultural development.  In each 
of his stops, the Ambassador was warmly received by local 
political elites, by CSO partners, and by direct 
beneficiaries of U.S.-funded programs. 
 
--------------------------- 
Anti-USG Elements React... 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3. A small coalition of anti-USG groups called for "boycotts" 
of the Ambassador on his visits to Oujda and Figuig, 
attracting national press attention.  A group of 50-70 
persons staged a brief sit-in in Bouafara, coinciding with 
the Ambassador's stop there, to protest U.S. policy in the 
Middle East.  The sit-in did not disrupt the schedule.  There 
was also a small sit-in at City Hall in Oujda on the day of 
the Ambassador's visit to the town, although the Ambassador 
was never scheduled to stop at the site. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
...But a Net Gain for U.S. Public Diplomacy 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. In spite of the protest and boycott calls, overall media 
coverage of the visit was favorable.  The Embassy's Public 
Affairs Section facilitated local media coverage of the 
Ambassador's stops, with space allowed for a Moroccan camera 
crew and print journalists on each leg of the aircraft's 
travels.  This facilitation yielded positive coverage of 
links between the USG and rural Moroccans, including details 
of the broad range and extent of U.S.-funded economic and 
social development projects, even in some of the most 
far-flung regions of the country.   In total, there were 29 
media placements, of which 27 were positive or neutral, and 
two negative. 
 
---------------- 
Visit Highlights 
---------------- 
 
¶5. In his January 31 visit to Errachidia, the large interior 
province on the eastern flank of the Atlas, the Ambassador 
called on provincial Secretary-General Lahcen Amzal (the 
Governor was out of town), as well as Errachadia Mayor Moulay 
Zahid Sidi Ammi.  The local officials affirmed to the 
Ambassador that economic development and job creation were 
their top and overriding priorities for the province, and 
noted the initiation of local projects funded by the King's 
National Human Development Initiative (INDH).  The Ambassador 
also visited an information-technology training center 
benefiting local youth, funded by USAID in cooperation with 
UNIFEM and Cisco Systems, Inc, and participated with Peace 
Corps volunteers in an English lesson at a local youth 
center. 
 
¶6. During his February 1 visit to Figuig province, in the 
eastern desert adjacent to the Algerian border, the 
 
RABAT 00000337  002 OF 002 
 
 
Ambassador, and his European Union counterpart, called on 
Governor Abderrahman Addi, based in the town of Bouarfa, and 
visited a MEPI-funded illiteracy project, also in Bouarfa. 
At the latter stop, several women told the Ambassador how 
much they had benefitted from the USG-funded literacy 
training, which had "opened up a new world of awareness" for 
them, including awareness of their expanded legal rights 
under the family code, revised by the GOM in 2004.  The group 
then traveled to the city of Figuig, where they lunched with 
the Mayor, visited an English class led by Peace Corps 
volunteers at a youth center, and stopped at a public 
hospital recently refurbished with a grant from the E.U. 
 
¶7. On February 2, the Ambassador flew to Ben Guerir Airbase, 
midway between Casablanca and Marrakech, and participated in 
a ceremony to mark the transfer of more than USD 500,000 
worth of equipment donated by NASA, a legacy of the Airbase's 
former designation as an alternate Space Shuttle landing 
site.  Colonel-Major Abdelali Haouri, Vice Chief of Staff of 
the Royal Moroccan Air Force, thanked the Ambassador for the 
USG's donation, which symbolized the two countries' close 
bilateral military and strategic ties. 
 
¶8. The Ambassador continued on February 2 to Ouarzazate, a 
scenic province which attracts a significant number of 
foreign tourists and international film productions. 
Welcoming the Ambassador to his office, Governor Mohammed 
Ichenarn cited job creation as his top priority, and he noted 
that the INDH was active in several parts of the province. 
(Note: Separately, local NGO and political leaders complained 
to poloff of the region's marginalization, and lamented that 
the INDH projects would only scratch the surface of the 
province's economic problems.  End Note.)  The Governor told 
the Ambassador that the film production business in the 
province was steady, but hoped more and larger productions 
could be attracted to the area.  The Ambassador also received 
a briefing from an agricultural development NGO - 
highlighting the impact of a fungus which has devastated the 
date crop in the region, and visited the site of a potential 
Millennium Challenge Corporation project aimed at 
revitalizing the local date industry.  The Ambassador again 
participated in an English lesson at a youth center staffed 
by Peace Corps Volunteers, and distributed soccer uniforms to 
local youth donated by U.S. private sector contacts. 
 
¶9. In the Mediterranean coastal town of Al-Hoceima on 
February 5, the Ambassador met with Governor Abdellah 
Al-Maslout, reviewed the progress of recovery efforts 
launched after a serious 2004 earthquake, and met with 
members of the Gateway Medical Alliance, a U.S. NGO providing 
assistance in the area.  The Ambassador also visited a 
Moroccan naval base for a briefing on the Royal Navy's 
anti-smuggling operations.  The naval briefer told the 
Ambassador that 6500 arrests were made in 2006, up from 640 
in 2003.  The Ambassador also met with the local investment 
authority to discuss potential opportunities for U.S. and 
other foreign investors in the region, with particular 
opportunities in the tourism sector. 
 
¶10. On the last stage of his visit, in Oujda, a city of 
roughly 700,000 people in the far northeast of Morocco, the 
Ambassador inaugurated an exhibit marking the 50th 
anniversary of the launch of USAID activities in the country, 
and witnessed the signature of an agreement between Governor 
Mohammed Brahimi and USAID to upgrade the food processing 
industry in the region.  In a separate meeting, Governor 
Brahimi, considered a contender for a future cabinet post, 
told the Ambassador that Spanish tourism sector investments 
on the province's Mediterranean coast would create about 
8,000 jobs in the coming years.  Also in Oujda, the 
Ambassasador visited a U.S.-supported battered women's 
shelter, a micro-credit project, and greeted Moroccan youth 
at the USG-financed "American Corner" at Oujda's principal 
university. 
 
****************************************** 
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat 
****************************************** 
 
Riley