VZCZCXYZ0022
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #0545/01 1772225
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 262225Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0315
INFO RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 4642
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC

UNCLAS RABAT 000545 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR INL/AAE - AARON ALTON AND ISN/ECC - VENNIE PSAROS 
STATE ALSO FOR S/CT, DS/ATA, L/LEI, INR/CYBER, NEA/RA AND 
NEA/MAG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PHUM EAID EXBS KJUS ASEC KCRM MO
SUBJECT: PRIORITY AREAS FOR INL SECURITY ASSISTANCE AND 
COORDINATION IN MOROCCO 
 
REF: A. RABAT 0443 (NOTAL) 
     ¶B. RABAT 0408 (NOTAL) 
     ¶C. RABAT 0161 (NOTAL) 
     ¶D. RABAT 0151 (NOTAL) 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Mission-wide meetings and encounters with 
the top Moroccan law enforcement and justice officials with 
INL and NEA/MAG confirm there is excellent prospect for 
expanded collaboration across the range of law and justice 
assistance programs.  USG support for Moroccan judicial 
reform, customs training, advanced law enforcement training 
in cybercrime and trafficking, and training of prison 
administrators present fertile opportunities for future 
cooperation. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In an effort to better coordinate U.S. security 
assistance to Morocco, the Mission took advantage of the 
visit of INL Regional Coordinator and NEA/MAG Moroco DeskOff. 
 We organized a series of internal mission-wide meetings and 
comprehensive, high-level discussions with senior Government 
of Morocco (GOM) security officials to determine U.S. 
priorities and Moroccan needs and to find areas where they 
intersect.  The objective was to clearly distinguish USG 
assistance from operations and to build capacity in the GOM 
while assuring the policy component to USG assistance. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Post's priorities for future INL funding are as 
follows: 
 
-- Advisory assistance, through a legal advisor, on pre-trial 
diversion and alternative sentencing; 
 
-- Enhancement of the Moroccan customs training facility in 
Casablanca, which would not only train Moroccans but also 
nationals from other countries, and would include advanced 
training courses in border management and protection, 
radioactive material interdiction, collection and analysis of 
data concerning fraud, and passenger control and inspection, 
among others; 
 
-- Cybercrime prevention and training for law enforcement 
officials; 
 
-- A U.S. familiarization visit for Moroccan prison officials 
and management training for prison administrators; 
 
-- Enhanced administration of justice training programs for 
future governors at the Ministry of Interior's training 
academy; and 
 
-- Further training for law enforcement officials in the 
areas of coast guard and border protection, anti-narcotics, 
organized crime, money laundering, drug identification and 
testing, and anti-trafficking.  End Summary. 
 
----------- 
Rule of Law 
----------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Ministry of Justice is finalizing a judicial 
reform strategy aimed at creating a more independent 
judiciary (Ref A).  Morocco's focus on the need to improve 
the judicial system provides significant opportunities for 
U.S. assistance in this area.  Mohamed Lididi, Secretary 
General of the Ministry of Justice, emphasized to LEGAT and 
POL visitors that Morocco views the U.S. judicial system as a 
model and expressed a desire for continued cooperation in 
this field, noting GOM progress on training judges and 
modernizing tribunals (courts).  Lididi, accompanied by Head 
of Penal Affairs Mohammed Abdenabaoui (responsible for 
prosecution, judicial management, sentencing, and royal 
pardons) requested advisory assistance on pre-trial 
diversion, a key factor in reducing prison overcrowding due 
to the large number of pre-trail detainees.  They would also 
be interested in help with alternative sentencing, for the 
same purpose.  Lididi underlined a need for broad legal and 
judicial assistance as he had discussed in his 2008 visit to 
Washington. 
 
------- 
Prisons 
------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Echoing previous meetings (Ref B), Delegate General 
 
for Prisons Moulay Hafid Benhachem told the Charge that 
security and rehabilitation of prisoners remain his top 
priorities.  Generally wary of U.S. intentions, Benhachem 
expressed a willingness to travel to the U.S. and view U.S. 
methods of surveillance, administration and training of 
prison administrators.  In what could be an area to begin 
cooperation, Benhachem expressed an interest in 
"train-the-trainer" programs for prison directors.  He told 
us that he was not interested in training for prison guards 
as they already go through a six-month course focused on the 
penal code, law and human rights.  He also expressed an 
interest in post-incarceration training programs but noted 
that the King Mohammed VI Foundation for Reinsertion is 
already involved in this field.  Post supports cooperation 
with the Prison Administration as it seeks to reform 
Morocco's overcrowded and underfunded prison system, which 
houses a large number of potentially radicalized and 
radicalizing Islamist prisoners. 
 
------------------- 
Customs and Borders 
------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Customs and border officials underlined advanced 
training as their biggest need.  The Director of Resources 
and Training in the Moroccan Customs Administration, Saadia 
Alaoui Abdellaoui, noted that the Moroccan customs training 
center currently provides instruction to all Moroccan customs 
officials as well as to officials from other Arab and African 
countries.  She underlined the need for more practical, 
hands-on training and noted that the training center lacked 
scanners and other equipment currently used at border 
check-points.  The Director of the Moroccan Customs Training 
Center, Abderrazak El Mergaoui, told EconOff that the 
training center is in need of desk-top and laptop computers, 
digital video conferencing equipment and customs training 
documents in French or Arabic.  The training center would 
welcome practical operational training from U.S. customs 
experts, he said. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Abdellaoui expressed appreciation for previous 
customs-related programs including training to combat money 
laundering, terrorism and narcotics trafficking.  Advanced 
training in border management and protection, radioactive 
material interdiction, chemical weapons interdiction, 
collection and analysis of data concerning fraud, passenger 
control and inspection would be welcome, she said.  The 
Mission believes support for customs training would 
strengthen cooperation with the Moroccan Government, while 
increasing security and decreasing illegal activities through 
better protection of border areas. 
 
--------------- 
Law Enforcement 
--------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Emphasizing the reforms undertaken by Morocco in 
the field of human rights, Director General of National 
Security Cherki Drais (Chief of the National Police Force 
responsible for all local urban policing and entry at 
frontiers) expressed a hope that human rights would provide a 
good foundation on which to strengthen cooperation.  He noted 
that human rights concepts are included in Morocco's training 
programs and thanked the U.S. for the more than 30 training 
exercises already conducted with Morocco.  Assistance in 
combating cybercrime and money laundering, conducting 
internet monitoring, intelligence gathering, profiling and 
DNA testing, and canine or horse training are areas of need, 
he stated, adding additional train-the-trainer courses would 
be useful.  He hopes to establish a yearly commission with 
the U.S. to review and plan training programs. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The Royal Gendarmerie, a civilian police force 
under the Ministry of Defense with jurisdiction in rural 
areas, emphasized the need for further training in the areas 
of coastal and border protection, anti-narcotics, organized 
crime, money laundering, hostage situations, and interdiction 
of all kinds of trafficking, including human, drug, and arms. 
 It was particularly concerned about cybercrime, saying it 
was unprepared to deal with this issue and asked for U.S. 
training and equipment assistance.  (Note:  See Ref C for 
further information on law enforcement training needs.  End 
Note.)  Post believes additional support for Moroccan law 
enforcement officers would improve bilateral cooperation, 
 
while increasing the capacity of the GOM to respond to 
criminal activities. 
 
------------------------ 
Ministry of the Interior 
------------------------ 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Rachid Rguibi, Governor in Charge of International 
Cooperation, requested support for the Ministry of the 
Interior's (MOI,s) training academy at Kenitra which trains 
future governors (Ref D).  Specifically, he expressed an 
interest in exchange programs between U.S. training academies 
and the MOI's school for governors.  Post has organized 
lectures by visiting U.S. professors from National Defense 
University in the past and hopes to continue this cooperation. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Governor Khalid Zerouali, MOI Governor in Charge 
of Migration and Border Security, stated that he was pleased 
with MOI's improved DOD relationship and &in general8 with 
the Embassy, but opined that there are ¬ enough 
tangibles8 delivered by the U.S. to Morocco.  He complained 
about the &meager8 amounts of money invested in Morocco 
saying that USD 3-4 million was not sufficient (and less than 
what the GOM receives from Europe), but balked at the idea of 
an assessment to determine additional Moroccan needs saying 
that Morocco had been assessed repeatedly with minimal 
results. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) "The Ministry of the Interior lacks much basic 
equipment but has been well trained and does not require 
additional training, except in the area of cybercrime, which 
is a need," Zerouali stated.  He expressed an interest in a 
conference focused on drug investigations, bringing together 
countries from South America and Asia to discuss their 
experiences in drug interdictions.  He requested 
communication equipment and vehicles for use in drug 
interdiction activities, possibly through excess defense 
articles.  Courses such as drug identification and field 
testing kits for security services along the border could be 
appropriate.  Post notes that drugs from Morocco flow 
primarily to Europe. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Mission Priorities for INL Funding 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶13.  (SBU) The mission's priorities for future INL funding 
are as follows: 
 
-- Advisory assistance, through a legal advisor, on pre-trial 
diversion and alternative sentencing; 
 
-- Enhanced support for the Moroccan customs training 
facility in Casablanca, which would not only train Moroccans 
but also nationals from other countries, and would include 
advanced training courses in border management and 
protection, radioactive material interdiction, chemical 
weapons interdiction, collection and analysis of data 
concerning fraud, and passenger control and inspection, among 
others; 
 
-- Cybercrime prevention and training for law enforcement 
officials; 
 
-- A U.S. familiarization visit for Moroccan prison 
officials, and management training for prison administrators; 
 
-- Enhanced administration of justice training programs for 
future governors at the Ministry of Interior's training 
academy; and 
 
-- Further training for law enforcement officials in the 
areas of coast guard and border protection, anti-narcotics, 
organized crime, money laundering, drug identification and 
testing, and anti-trafficking. 
 
¶14.  (U) Primary mission point of contact is PolOff Siriana 
Nair at e-mail: nairsk@state.gov or tel.  212-537-668-064. 
 
 
***************************************** 
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco 
***************************************** 
 
 
Jackson