VZCZCXYZ0010
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAD #1217/01 2961227
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 221227Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1644
INFO RUCNNAF/NORTH AF NEA AND SOUTH ASIAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1021
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1292
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0867
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0116
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0303
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0475

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 001217 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM KMPI XI MO MR WI
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH MOROCCAN FM FASSI-FIHRI; 
MOROCCO TO HOST 2009 FORUM FOR THE FUTURE 
 
Classified by Ambassador Richard Olson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) Meeting on the margins of the October 18-19 Forum for the 
Future ministerial in Abu Dhabi, Deputy Secretary Negroponte and NEA 
A/S Welch held a cordial exchange with Moroccan Foreign Minister 
Fassi-Fihri on three core issues: the Forum for the Future, the 
Western Sahara negotiation process, and the post-coup situation in 
Mauritania.  Morocco has agreed to host the sixth Forum for the 
Future in partnership with G-8 co-chair Italy and is already in 
discussions with the GOI.  Though the GOM believes the G-8 has not 
been as engaged in the Forum as it could be, it is pleased with a USG 
commitment to press this priority beyond November elections.  On the 
Western Sahara, the GOM is eager to launch the Fifth Round of 
UN-sponsored talks, citing transition to a new UN special envoy 
(Christopher Ross) and Algeria exploitation of the situation.  The 
Deputy Secretary reiterated USG support for a solution based on 
autonomy within Moroccan sovereignty, which Fassi-Fihri appreciated. 
On Mauritania, he said the military junta does not want to stay in 
power and Morocco supports a plan to reinstate deposed 
President-elect Seddi Abdulla and then hold elections.  The junta is 
in discussions with Abdulla and seeking constitutional revisions.  FM 
Fassi-Fihri noted that the French and Germans were talking to the 
junta and said the USG should be engaged in the process rather than 
"isolating itself."  End summary. 
 
MOROCCO "HONORED" TO HOST NEXT YEAR'S FORUM 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Deputy Secretary opened a cordial 45 minute exchange on 
October 18 with Moroccan FM Fassi-Fihri by asking if the GOM was 
willing to host next year's Forum for the Future.  (Note: Rabat 
hosted the first Forum in 2004.  End note.)  Fassi-Fihri said his 
government was "ready to take this responsibility" and hoped to 
assure continuity of the Forum process.  Hosting is an "honor for 
Morocco and for Morocco's civil society" in coordination with Italy, 
next year's G-8 President and co-chair.  The decision was ready for 
announcement.  The Deputy Secretary noted his pleasure and stressed 
the need for momentum in the Forum process. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Fassi-Fihri said countries in the region were happy with 
Morocco as host for a second time and hoped for continuity. 
Nonetheless, many feared a pending change in the U.S. administration 
could stall the Forum process.  He appreciated USG assurances that 
this would not be the case and that the USG was committed to Forum 
goals for the long term.  The Deputy Secretary said potential USG 
leaders had been and would continue to be briefed on the Forum. 
While nuances may change, the substance of USG commitment would 
remain.  He cited apparent European interest in maintaining the 
dialogue as well. 
 
¶4.  (C) Fassi-Fihri said the feeling "in the South" was that the G-8 
had not been fully engaged in the Forum, although he acknowledged 
that assembling regional governments and NGOs was certainly "not 
easy."  He noted the reluctance of Egypt and Saudi Arabia to engage 
the NGO community and potential "exploitation" of the Forum process 
by Algeria.  Fassi-Fihri advised that the G-8 could show more 
commitment by perhaps providing financial support to specific 
Forum-sponsored projects.  The "South" wants the USG to "encourage 
but not impose."  Fassi-Fihri said all had agreed that reform cannot 
be imposed and stressed the need for concrete results, tangible 
projects and continuity. 
 
WESTERN SAHARA: MOROCCO SEEKS "CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS" 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶5.  (C) On the subject of Western Sahara, Fassi-Fihri said UN Under 
Secretary for Political Affairs Lynne Pascoe's visit to Morocco had 
been useful.  Morocco had found the UN's decision to allow the former 
UN special envoy's contract to expire "brutal," as it had been done 
at Algeria's behest.  Fassi-Fihri's government fears that Algeria 
could "exploit the situation" of a new special envoy in complicating 
the ongoing talks.  The GOM would welcome Christopher Ross as the new 
envoy, but it was important to "create conditions for success" for 
Ross even if it meant delaying Ross' appointment for several weeks. 
It was vital that Ross not start at ground zero in assessing the 
issue and in the negotiating process.  Ross already knows the 
situation and need not conduct a listening tour of the region and 
then propose some new process or solution; instead, he should 
promptly call for the next round of talks.  Fassi-Fihri said it was 
necessary to have clarity on what Ross' public and perhaps private 
mandate would be from the Secretary General, and Fassi-Fihri had thus 
sent a list of questions to Pascoe to clarify the issue; Fassi-Fihri 
 
agreed to send the list to A/S Welch. 
 
¶6.  (C) The Deputy Secretary expressed the USG view that the 
realistic resolution for Western Sahara was as a "state of autonomy" 
within Morocco.  Fassi-Fihri agreed but inferred that Algeria had 
other interests.  He stressed there would be a negative impact in 
Morocco if we were to go back to stage one of the negotiating 
process, which was what Algeria wanted.  Rather, the GOM wanted to 
engage in the planned fifth round of talks as soon as possible. 
Fassi-Fihri noted that some parties had protested the "taking off the 
table" of the independence solution in the negotiation process, 
blaming Algeria and the Frente Polisario.  A/S Welch reassuringly 
reiterated that the USG viewed autonomy within Moroccan sovereignty 
as the only plausible resolution, which should be the basis of UN 
discussions. 
 
¶7.  (C) FM Fassi-Fihri stressed again that the GOM was asking Pascoe 
to convene the fifth round of Western Sahara talks as soon as 
possible.  He lamented Algerian maneuvering, including having told 
his government that the Algeria - Morocco bilateral relationship 
could not progress until the Western Sahara situation was resolved. 
He thanked the Deputy Secretary for the USG position and reiterated 
GOM desire to move forward and not "go back to stage one." 
 
MAURITANIA: MOROCCO SUPPORTS TEMPORARY REINSTATEMENT 
OF DEPOSED PRESIDENT AND SUBSEQUENT ELECTIONS 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶8.  (C) The Deputy Secretary asked how to reverse damage done by the 
recent military coup in Mauritania, which had created an 
unsatisfactory status quo.  Fassi-Fihri said former Mauritanian 
President-elect Seddi Abdulla was deposed because the Parliament was 
not stable and self-interested people "were controlling him." 
Morocco's belief was that Abdulla should be reinstated "for a short 
time" while new elections are organized, although Fassi-Fihri said 
this would not be easy.  Morocco was concerned that the current 
military and coup leader, General Mohamed Aziz, either would not 
condone the election or could resign his position and run for office. 
 
¶9.  (C) Fassi-Fihri said discussions in Mauritania revolved around 
revising the Constitution to give the Parliament ability to impeach 
the President, thereby avoiding the rationale for another coup 
d'etat.  He said the ruling military junta was in touch with the 
deposed President on constitutional reforms and the continuation of 
certain institutions.  Fassi-Fihri asserted that "this junta is not 
like Burma," they "don't want to stay" in power. 
 
¶10.  (C) A/S Welch said we had made no direct contact with the junta 
although some European nations had done so.  Fassi-Fihri told his 
interlocutors bluntly that the USG was "isolating itself" by not 
talking to the junta; the USG should not let the French and Germans 
control engagement in pursuit of their own interests.  He said the 
GOM did not support the coup but wanted a broader dialogue on the 
situation.  Fassi-Fihri repeated that General Aziz wanted to give up 
power, but might also complicate things by trying to run for office 
in a potential election. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) U.S. Participants: 
-- The Deputy Secretary 
-- Ambassador Richard Olson 
-- NEA A/S David Welch 
-- DRL A/S David Kramer 
-- NEA DAS Kent Patton 
-- DRL DAS Erica Barkes-Ruggles 
-- Aaron Jost, D Staff 
-- Ralph Falzone, Notetaker 
 
Moroccan Participants: 
-- FM El Tayeb Fassi-Fihri 
-- Amb. Yousef Al Umrani, DG of Bilateral Relations 
-- Amb. Abdelkader Zauoi, Amb to the UAE 
 
¶12.  (U) This cable was cleared by the office of the Deputy Secretary. 
 
OLSON