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PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #0899/01 3101525
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY ADD3CC70 MSI8942 641)
P 061525Z NOV 09 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0810
INFO RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 4761

UNCLAS RABAT 000899 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y (ADDED SENSITIVE CAPTION) 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR S/CT, PM, NEA/RA AND AF/W 
DEFENSE FOR OSD - DASD FOR AFRICA HUDDLESTON 
JCS FOR J-5 GENERAL SMITH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR PREL PTER MASS MO
SUBJECT: DASD HUDDLESTON AND ADMIRAL MOELLER DISCUSS 
COOPERATION WITH KEY MOROCCAN OFFICIALS 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
Africa Huddleston, Africa Command Deputy Commander Vice 
Admiral Moeller, and Brigadier General Jefforey Smith from 
the Joint Staff met with senior Moroccan military and 
civilian officials on October 16 to discuss the challenges 
facing Africa and USG efforts to address those challenges. 
Transnational threats, especially from Al Qaeda in the Lands 
of the Islamic Maghreb in North Africa and the Sahel, figured 
prominently in the dialogue, but Moroccan leaders placed 
great emphasis on the importance of development and 
partnership with African countries.  They warned that 
military might alone cannot defeat transnational threats. 
During the visit, the GOM provided a new text of the 
long-awaited Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement 
(ACSA), and we appear even closer to being able to sign this. 
 Finally, Moroccans highlighted interoperability with the 
U.S. and NATO.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa in the Office 
of the Secretary of Defense (DASD) Ambassador Vicki J. 
Huddleston visited post October 15 ) 17, 2009, meeting with 
the Ambassador and members of the country team, as well as 
senior officials from the Kingdom of Morocco (KoM).  These 
included the Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces 
(CHOD) Lieutenant General Abdelaziz Bennani; Minister 
Delegate in the Office of the Prime Minister in Charge of 
National Defense Administration Mr. Abderrahmane Sbai; and 
the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 
Cooperation Ambassador Youssef Amrani.  She was accompanied 
by Vice Admiral Robert T. Moeller, Deputy Commander for 
Military Operations, U.S. Africa Command, and Brigadier 
General Jefforey Smith, Deputy Director, Political-Military 
Affairs, Middle East Division, Joint Staff J-5.  She 
highlighted U.S. government (USG) goals for Africa, presented 
Department of Defense (DoD) objectives and efforts in support 
of those goals, and received input from the country team and 
KoM officials on the same. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) At every stop DASD Huddleston underscored USG 
goals, as expressed in President Obama,s speeches in Cairo 
and Accra, as supporting democracy and the rule of law.  She 
outlined DoD objectives and actions in support of those 
goals.  These include: 
 
a.  The maturation of Africa Command, a single combatant 
command dedicated to the support of U.S. defense policy and 
efforts on the continent of Africa. 
 
b.  Africa Command,s efforts to build African nations 
capacity to defend against transnational threats, to include 
terrorism as manifested by Al Qaeda in the Lands of the 
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Al Shabab, and Boko Haram in Nigeria. 
 
c.  Bolstering civilian authority to combat threats to 
stability in Somalia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the 
Congo (DRC), and Darfur, Sudan.  She complimented the clear 
authority and stability represented by the King of Morocco. 
 
d.  Support to regional peacekeeping activities in the DRC 
and Liberia. 
 
e.  Efforts to combat illegal activities, especially law 
enforcement and prison reform initiatives. 
 
f.  Protection of natural resources. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) DASD Huddleston, fresh from a visit to France, 
advanced the French perception of AQIM as the principal 
terrorist threat to France, as well as their philosophy of 
&leading from the side8 in engagement activity in 
Mauritania and Mali in an effort to empower the Governments 
of Mauritania and Mali to protect themselves.  While she 
solicited Moroccan views and interest in incorporating the 
two countries into mutual defense of their borders, she did 
not receive a direct answer. 
 
----------- 
LTG BENNANI 
----------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The DASD,s meeting with LTG Bennani was cordial 
and high level, serving to introduce the senior members of 
the American and Moroccan defense delegation to each other in 
advance of the December 1-3, 2009 Defense Consultative 
 
Committee in Washington, D.C.  However, Bennani refused to 
answer questions directly, deferring to the king,s authority 
as Chief of Staff of the Royal Armed Forces.  Nonetheless, he 
touched on several themes: 
 
a.  He favorably acknowledged the creation and role of Africa 
Command, and noted that while it was still young its 
strategic vision is rational. 
 
b.  He favorably acknowledged President Obama,s vision and 
understanding of geo-politics, and posited that while the USG 
confronts many issues on the African continent, the strategic 
importance of Morocco will help yield positive results. 
 
c.  He spoke favorably of the future of the Acquisition and 
Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), and the potential 
acquisition of the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, equating it 
to the recent acquisition of the Chaparral III anti-aircraft 
system. 
 
d.  He stated that Morocco wants to be viewed as a strategic 
partner to the U.S. and that, while it is not Morocco,s way 
to exhaust the partnership by continually asking for more 
resources, the understanding of a friend will go a long way 
to sustaining current acquisitions, such as properly bedding 
down the F-16 when it arrives in 2011. 
 
e.  He stated that the Royal Armed Forces seek greater 
integration and interoperability with U.S. armed forces, 
noting the Moroccan role alongside U.S. and coalition forces 
in Desert Storm and the Balkans, and positing that they could 
have been used to greater advantage in Somalia if they had 
been able to more closely integrate with U.S. forces.  And 
 
f.  He reinforced the mission of the Royal Armed Forces as 
protection of the borders, and likened the border of Morocco 
with Mauritania to the border of the U.S. with Mexico. 
 
---------------------- 
MINISTER-DELEGATE SBAI 
---------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) DASD Huddleston,s meeting with Minister-Delegate 
Sbai was upbeat, with the Minister touching on a wide variety 
of topics.  Among them: 
 
a.  The Royal Armed Forces enjoy excellent relations with 
their American counterparts, to include training, exercising, 
and equipping. 
 
b.  He appreciates the distinction, and the prestige, of the 
decision to afford a Defense Consultative Committee to 
Morocco. 
 
c.  He repeated the Royal Armed Forces, mission was 
protecting Morocco from external threats, and that the King 
has charged him to assure that the forces have the capacity 
to defend the Kingdom.  He put the acquisition and 
development of that capacity into context, however, as being 
balanced with reforms and development in other spheres of 
life:  religious, political, economic and social.  He noted 
that these activities all have to proceed apace but that 
priority will always be given by the King to the human 
dimension, that Morocco will not be a beggar, and that the 
King understands that broad development will ultimately be 
the best guarantor of peace.  And 
 
d.  He underscored the role of women in protecting broadly 
against extremism, noting that the King had formally 
introduced the concept of women as preachers, and positing 
that women were generally the more trustworthy and stalwart 
pillars of Islamic society. 
 
e.  In the context of discussing regional cooperation, he 
noted that Morocco had provided training to a number of 
African countries. 
 
------------------------------- 
FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND COOPERATION 
------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) DASD Huddleston concluded her meetings with a visit 
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, where she 
met Ambassador Amrani, Chief of Staff Ambassador Nasser 
 
Bourita and Director of African Affairs Abdellatif Bendahane. 
 The trio acknowledged the reinvigorated relationship of the 
U.S. with the Arab and African world and presented a positive 
image of a Morocco on the move, leading effort in the region 
and the continent.  Ambassador Amrani declared, &Your 
security is our security.8 Other key points included: 
 
a.  Work with the U.S. in the United Nations, in combating 
terror, and in conducting free trade. 
 
b.  The difficulties of working in Africa, especially 
respecting the sovereignty and sensibilities of every 
country, and the challenges of illegal immigration, piracy, 
and drug use. 
 
c.  The ineffectiveness of the Arab Maghreb Union, and the 
need for member countries to work together to make it 
effective. 
 
d.  A Moroccan vision for Africa that is optimistic (vice the 
traditional western view of the continent as troubled); 
multi-dimensional to include human rights and peace; and 
action-oriented, noting the Kingdom,s accomplishments in 
establishing bilateral agreements under the current King, the 
national airline,s expansion of service, the Kingdom,s 
support to Francophone Africa in the form of educational 
scholarships, agriculture, medicine, telecommunications, the 
environmental initiatives.  They further underscored the 
Kingdom,s direct contributions to security in the form of 
combating terrorism, narcotics/contraband/human trafficking, 
and peacekeeping, noting that the UN is increasingly 
returning to countries where they have been before.  Morocco 
is cooperating with 22 African countries on counternarcotics, 
disarmament, migration, piracy, and conflict resolution. 
Morocco,s European partners are overly focused on migration. 
 
e.  Combating AQIM requires a multidimensional approach.  One 
must work in both the political and religious spheres, said 
Amrani.  Middle East peace is an essential part of the 
equation, and Morocco,s moderate, modern Islam could provide 
a valuable model in contrast to Shi,ism.  And 
 
f.  The desire to expand the relationship with NATO. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) In sum, DASD Huddleston,s visit reinforced the 
excellent relationship between the two nations, defense 
establishments and governments.  She was able to repeat the 
USG,s message of engagement with the Arab and African 
worlds, assure a stable and long-term partner in the region 
of America,s continued commitment to its security and 
prosperity, and solicit feedback and listen to KoM views on 
America,s role in the region and the kingdom,s ability to 
work with the USG.  The visit created excellent momentum for 
the DCC in December, which should serve to facilitate 
productiveness between the two nations over the next 18 
months.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶9.  (U) DASD Huddleston has cleared this message. 
 
 
***************************************** 
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco 
***************************************** 
 
Kaplan