VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #0817 2751624
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021624Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0705
INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0134
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 4728
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1169
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0969
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA

UNCLAS RABAT 000817 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
ISN FOR T WUCHTE, NEA/MAG FOR K JONES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC ETTC PTER TBIO MO
SUBJECT: UNSCR 1540 AFRICA WORKSHOP: MOROCCO INTERESTED, 
BUT NOT IF POLISARIO PRESENT 
 
REF: STATE 96413 
 
¶1.  (U) This message contains an ACTION REQUEST.  Please see 
para 4. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Counselor in the 
International Organization Division Nabigha Hajji told 
EconOff on October 1 that Morocco appreciates the invitation 
to reftel biosafety/biosecurity workshop in Kenya in February 
2010 to carry out activities under UN Security Council 
Resolution 1540.  He requested further information about the 
content of the workshop in order to determine which Moroccan 
agencies would most benefit from participation.  Hajji 
undertook to seek ideas for the workshop content from 
interested Moroccan agencies and convey any input to us at a 
later date. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Hajji stressed that while Morocco would like to 
accept the invitation, as a matter of policy it will not 
attend the workshop unless participants are restricted to 
those representing "member states of the United Nations," a 
reference to concerns about attendance by representatives of 
the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). 
While EconOff assured Hajji that the SADR was not among the 
list of countries invited by the USG, his concerns were 
triggered by reftel non-paper, which makes reference to 
including "African Union members."  The SADR is a member of 
the African Union (AU), while Morocco is not an AU member in 
protest of that organization's acceptance of the secessionist 
POLISARIO movement's self-proclaimed government. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Post requests that Department confirm that no 
representatives from the SADR (which we do not recognize as a 
state or government) will be included at this workshop in 
order to assure Moroccan participation.  In light of Moroccan 
sensitivities, and the fact that Morocco is not an African 
Union member, Post suggests that conference materials refrain 
from referring collectively to countries targeted for 
participation in the workshop as the African Union. 
 
¶5.  (U) Embassy Rabat Point of Contact for coordinating 
participation in this workshop is Economic Officer Jai L. 
Nair (Tel: 212-537-76-22-65 ext. 2136; SBU E-mail: 
NairJL@state.gov). 
 
 
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Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco 
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Millard