VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0260 0931442
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 031442Z APR 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1633
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS IMMEDIATE 1196
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 1105
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID IMMEDIATE 6214
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS IMMEDIATE 1009
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT IMMEDIATE 0828
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA IMMEDIATE 0466
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 2618

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000260 
 
SIPDIS 
 
"NOTE BY CIB: DO NOT/NOT PROCESS, GIVE TO EAO FOR GUIDANCE." 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2017 
TAGS: PREL AG WI MO
SUBJECT: PRESSING POLISARIO TO DROP ITS PRECONDITION FOR 
TALKS 
 
REF: A. STATE 39379 
 
     ¶B. USUN 225 
     ¶C. USUN 235 
     ¶D. STATE 35098 
     ¶E. STATE 37761 (EXDIS) 
 
Classified By: Classified by Amb. Jackie W. Sanders. E.O 12958. 
Reasons 1.4 (B&D). 
 
¶1. (C) Per instructions, Ambassador Sanders March 29 
delivered (Ref A) points to Polisario New York representative 
Ahmed Boukhari encouraging the Polisario to drop its 
precondition that the Baker Plan be the basis for any 
discussions held with Morocco.  Boukhari said he would 
forward the message to the Polisario leadership and provide 
USUN with a response in a timely manner.  Boukhari, repeating 
and elaborating on comments previously reported (Ref B) said 
that the Polisario leadership's hesitancy it responding 
positively to the U.S. invitation -- redlines aside -- was 
its perception, particularly that of Secretary-General 
Abdelaziz, that the U.S. is no longer the honest broker it 
has been in the past.  Twice in the past few months, Boukhari 
said, U.S. officials had informed the Algerian government 
that the U.S. could not support the concept of an independent 
Sahrawi state.  Boukhari said that ever since the Algerian 
government had relayed the gist of those conversations to 
them, the Polisario leadership has considered U.S. actions to 
be part of a plan to sell out the Polisario. 
 
¶2. (C) USUN subsequently assured Boukhari that the U.S. would 
support any mutually agreed solution on the final status of 
Western Sahara and that we are not prejudging the outcome of 
talks and have offered to host them as long as neither party 
comes with preconditions.  On the Polisario reference to 
U.S.-Algerian conversations, we said that we do not divulge 
diplomatic exchanges. 
 
¶3. (C) In an April 2 meeting with USUN, Boukhari said that 
the Polisario thanked the U.S. for its efforts and that, in 
regard to the U.S. offer to host a meeting on the Western 
Sahara, the Polisario had already transmitted its reply in 
its March 22 letter to Ambassador Wolff (Ref C).  In 
addition, Boukhari offered a point of clarification and a 
comment.  First, he said, the Polisario did not consider its 
demand that the Baker Plan be the basis of discussion as a 
precondition since the Baker Plan has long been supported by 
the Security Council.  If the Polisario had demanded a 
precondition, it would have been that independence would have 
to be the basis of any discussions with Morocco.  Second, 
returning to the Polisario leadership's concern over alleged 
U.S. officials' remarks that an independent Sahrawi state 
would fall under the threat of terrorism and that therefore 
the U.S. could not support such a state, Boukhari said that 
every one knows that terrorism is an urban phenomenon and 
could not occur in the Sahrawi desert. 
 
¶4. (C) Comment: USUN has not yet conducted a straw poll to 
gauge how Security Council members might react to the U.S. 
putting forward the notion that the Moroccan initiative be 
noted in the April MINURSO rollover resolution.  We strongly 
suggest that the Department consider polling Security Council 
capitals to ascertain whether altering a Security Council 
position with such a long history of calling for 
self-determination, as suggested Ref D, may meet with strong 
resistance.  End Comment. 
WOLFF