VZCZCXRO0794
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHRB #1255/01 2151505
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 031505Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7099
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA PRIORITY 3296

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 RABAT 001255 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PBTS MO KDEM IZ LE SO SU XI
SUBJECT: KING'S THRONE DAY SPEECH FOCUSES ON WESTERN SAHARA 
AND ELECTIONS 
 
REF: A. RABAT 1223 
     ¶B. RABAT 1155 
     ¶C. 06 RABAT 1450 
 
Classified by Ambassador Thomas Riley for reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d). 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary:  King Mohammed VI's July 30 Throne Day 
speech focused on his commitment to gradual reform as well as 
the two most pressing national issues: the Western Sahara and 
upcoming parliamentary elections.  He reaffirmed Morocco's 
intention to negotiate on the basis of autonomy, but "nothing 
but autonomy."  He called for credible elections that reflect 
the will of the people but drew a strong red line around his 
own prerogatives.  The King called on every Moroccan to play 
a role in the fight against terrorism.  In a brief discussion 
of regional issues, he praised Palestinian President Abbas, 
the Arab Peace Initiative and measures to "enhance stability 
in Iraq, Lebanon, the Sudan and Somalia."  While local 
reaction to the King's annual speech has been predictably 
overwhelmingly positive, political parties deployed the 
King's words to meet the needs of their own electoral 
strategies.  End Summary. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
Western Sahara: "autonomy, and nothing but autonomy" 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On July 30, Morocco celebrated the eighth 
anniversary of the coronation of King Mohammed VI.  In 
addition to a range of ceremonies, the King offered his 
annual address to the nation.  The King welcomed the 
international community's support for the Moroccan autonomy 
plan for the Western Sahara and thanked "the influential 
powers" who have backed the "historic" Moroccan initiative. 
He also laid out clear parameters for upcoming negotiations, 
saying "Morocco is and will remain ready to negotiate on 
autonomy, and nothing but autonomy."  (Comment:  Probably 
alluding to the role of Algeria, the King pledged to reach 
out to "all parties" and called for "good neighborliness" 
while at the same time declaring that Morocco will not "be 
made hostage to the calculations of others."  End Comment.) 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
King Urges Transparent Elections, But No Change in "Values" 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  The King called for an issues-based political 
campaign free of empty electoral slogans.  The King cited 
national consensus on the nation's fundamental values. 
"Open, moderate Islam, constitutional monarchy, national 
unity, territorial integrity and social democracy" are, in 
his words, "immutable values for which there is unanimous 
support." 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The King spoke out against corruption, saying he 
would "fight all practices which might undermine the 
credibility of elections."  Referring to the post-election 
government, the King said "the electoral process should lead 
to a coherent majority from which an effective, compact 
cabinet should emerge."  (Note:  While the King thus implied 
that the cabinet should reflect the elected majority,  he did 
not explicitly make the same commitment about the new prime 
minister.  The current prime minister, Driss Jettou, was 
appointed by the King in 2002 when the newly elected 
political parties were not able to come to an agreement.  End 
Note).  The King lauded the detailed electoral platforms 
presented to date by political parties (ref b) as "a 
particularly important development."  (Comment:  Many of 
those platforms are at least in part a product of USG-funded 
democracy training programs.  End Comment.) 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The King also revisited a prominent theme from 
last year's speech (ref c), that of voter responsibility and 
civic duty, exhorting Moroccans to "rise to the challenge" of 
the upcoming elections.  "We all have a duty to make sure the 
next general election stands as a landmark in the process of 
consolidating standard democratic practice," he said.  The 
King praised the role of civil society, saying that elections 
should reflect the will of the people and that the value of 
modern participatory democracy lies in the ability of all 
stakeholders to contribute to government "regardless of their 
convictions or leanings." 
 
------------------------------------- 
Constitutional Reform On The Horizon? 
------------------------------------- 
 
 
RABAT 00001255  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  With cautious but encouraging language, the King 
signaled his intention to pursue (gradual) constitutional 
reform.  The King described the governance system he seeks as 
"an efficient, civic-minded monarchy which cannot be reduced 
to a mere distribution of powers between an executive organ, 
a legislative body and a judicial authority."  While he 
recognized the value of separate branches, the King indicated 
that he would retain his constitutional right to keep a hold 
on the reigns of power, in part to ensure that reform takes 
place at a controlled pace.  He visibly distinguished the 
powers of the King from those of his ministries, saying 
"constitutional institutions have competencies of their own, 
which are exercised apart from those of the Monarch." 
Similarly, the King promised "gradual institutional reform 
through more comprehensive, loftier changes."  While 
refraining from spelling out what measures he had in mind, he 
said they would be discussed "soon," implying this might be 
done with the new parliament. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The King underscored that reform of the judiciary 
will be given priority.  Morocco will modernize and increase 
confidence in the judiciary, which he called "the cornerstone 
of the rule of law."  He also pledged to support free 
enterprise and small and medium businesses, and restructure 
the education and training system to help meet the growing 
needs of the economy.  The King said he planned to devolve 
(unspecified) powers and allocate resources to local 
authorities with the goal of gradually setting up "a modern 
regional system involving all the Kingdom's regions." 
However, he stressed that autonomy would be applicable 
exclusively to the Sahara. 
 
-------------------------------- 
"Security Is Everyone's Concern" 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Introducing the theme of civic duty into the 
discourse on national security, the King emphasized the role 
of ordinary Moroccans in fighting terrorism.  "Security is 
everyone's concern," he said.  The King also pointed to 
economic development and poverty alleviation programs as a 
means to prevent the growth of extremism.  He explained that 
particular attention must be paid to youth so they are not 
"manipulated by the forces of darkness." 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  Reiterating Prime Minister Jettou's recent remarks 
to parliament praising the security services (ref a), the 
King thanked all security and defense personnel, in 
particular those serving in the Western Sahara and those 
working in counter-terrorism, and pledged to improve their 
numbers, living conditions, and material resources. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Brief Discussion of Global, Regional Events 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  The King praised the Moroccan diplomatic service 
for its recent successes and called on the government to 
provide the service with "the material means and competent 
human resources it needs."  He lauded Morocco's role in 
promoting global issues, including peace and security, 
counter-terrorism, cultural and religious tolerance, human 
rights, the advancement of women, protection of the 
environment and Qstainable development. 
 
¶11.  (SBU)  Compared to previous years, the King spent 
relatively little time discussing Morocco,s views toward 
regional events.  He succinctly laid out Morocco,s position 
on the Middle East, pledging his support for Palestinian 
President Mahmoud Abbas, his efforts to resolve the current 
Palestinian schism, and the Arab Peace Initiative. 
 
¶12.  (SBU)  The King said he intends to participate in French 
President Sarkozy's "promising" Mediterranean union project, 
and expressed solidarity with the Sahel and sub-Saharan 
Africa.  He specifically encouraged "all measures which 
enhance security and stability in Iraq, Lebanon, the Sudan 
and Somalia, and respect their sovereignty and territorial 
integrity."  At the end of the list, he noted that "building 
the Maghreb Union will remain a prime objective of our 
foreign policy." 
 
------------------------------------- 
Favorable Reaction to Royal Discourse 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶13.  (C)  Moroccan media has been flooded with factual 
reporting on the King's speech, as well as congratulatory 
messages to the King from numerous world leaders.  Local 
 
RABAT 00001255  003 OF 003 
 
 
reaction has been predictably positive and filled with praise 
of the King's remarks.  There has been no criticism of the 
King's speech, and none is expected, the bottom line on 
freedom of expression here. 
 
¶14.  (C)  Interestingly, political parties use their exegesis 
of the King's words to benefit their own causes.  Party for 
Justice and Development (PJD) Parliament Leader Lahcen 
Daoudi, after praising the speech, asserted that it showed 
there was no difference between the King's wishes and the 
platforms of "those parties who have a real program," 
highlighting his party's clean credentials against other 
parties steeped in fraud.  In contrast, Popular Movement 
Union (UMP) Minister of Agriculture Mohammed Laenser, 
sometimes tipped as a potential PM, said the speech warned of 
the dangers of fundamentalism (i.e. the PJD), a sentiment 
echoed by USFP leader Mohammed El Yagzhi. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶15.  (C)  The King centered his speech on two prominent and 
timely national items: the Western Sahara and the upcoming 
legislative elections, unlike on last year's throne day when 
there were no looming national agenda items to stress.  The 
King, while promising change, also used the speech to 
emphasize his red lines -- no discussion of independence for 
Western Sahara and little substantial diminution of the 
Monarchy's prerogatives -- as well as to manage expectations 
for constitutional reform following the elections.  End 
Comment. 
 
 
 
***************************************** 
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat 
***************************************** 
 
RILEY