Morocco Gate: Panzeri’s Visit to Tindouf

Tags: Morocco, Morocco Gate, Antonio Panzeri, Western Sahara, Tindouf, Polisario Front, corruption, European Parliament,

Spring 2022. A team of State Security agents discreetly enters a seven-story sandstone building in Schaerbeek, half a kilometer from the RTBF tower. Former Italian politician Pier Antonio Panzeri (67 years old) resides there. The security forces have been assured that he is not home at that time.

Under the bed in the bedroom, a black rolling suitcase. When the agents unzip it, they find four bundles, wrapped in a red C&A plastic bag and a Carrefour plastic shopping bag. The packages contain no less than 7,601 fifty-euro bills, totaling 380,050 euros.

That’s not all: integrated into Panzeri’s wardrobe, a digital lock safe. The agents first see a book, a DVD, and a box. But behind these, bundles of fifty, one hundred, and two hundred euro bills. An additional 320,000 euros. The agents photograph the cache and leave the scene, leaving no traces of their unexpected visit. All evidence has been erased.

This intrusion is part of an investigation initiated in 2021 by State Security into foreign interference: close associates of the European Parliament, according to « very reliable » information provided to the Belgians by a friendly European intelligence service, were allegedly bribed by Moroccan secret services, the DGED. In return, these suspects were said to be secretly influencing European Parliament statements and resolutions. They are even said to have managed to have deputies appointed to certain committees. In this investigation, State Security is cooperating not only with this allied European intelligence service but also with four other sister services.

The friendship between the Moroccan diplomat and Antonio Panzeri’s family appears to have roots shortly after 2009, when the Italian socialist was re-elected to the European Parliament, also securing the presidency of the delegation for relations with Maghreb countries and the co-presidency, alongside Abderrahim Atmoun, of the EU-Morocco Joint Parliamentary Committee. In other words, Mr. Panzeri was more than anyone else at that time, the face of European diplomacy in Rabat, a man it was better to have as a friend than as an enemy. Or, in more diplomatic terms, as summarized in a « leaked » note from October 2011 sent by the Moroccan Mission to the European Union in Rabat, Mr. Panzeri « can be a valuable ally or a formidable opponent. »

The purpose of this note is to prepare for the visit that the S&D MEP is to make across the Mediterranean two weeks later. A delicate stop in Tindouf, where several Sahrawi refugee camps are gathered, is planned. A necessary step to maintain the MEP’s image of neutrality: “The visit to Tindouf is essential to bolster Mr. Panzeri’s credibility with Algeria and the Polisario, after he was accused of being pro-Moroccan,” warns the Moroccan representation to the EU.

Full text of the note on Panzeri’s visit to Tindouf

27/10/2011

To the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation

Subject: PE/ Visit to Tindouf by the President of the Maghreb Delegation of the PE

In reference to the cited correspondences, I have the honor to inform you that on the sidelines of the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, this Mission had an informal meeting with Mr. Pier Antonio Panzeri’s advisor, who was carrying a message from him to the Moroccan authorities.

Here are the three main points of this message, as communicated:

The visit to Tindouf is essential to strengthen Mr. Panzeri’s credibility with Algeria and the Polisario, after he was accused of being pro-Moroccan. It is not in Morocco’s interest for Mr. Panzeri to be perceived as such. Panzeri has done his best to avoid the date of November 6. The date of the visit (November 7) is a reasonable compromise, as visiting the camps following a visit to Algeria is symbolic in itself and, in any case, a better option (for Morocco) than an ad hoc visit to the camps.

Mr. Panzeri will begin his discussions with the Algerian and Polisario officials from the position of the CPM, which has always framed the Saharan issue within the context of advanced regionalization. However, Mr. Panzeri does not intend to discuss autonomy with the Polisario or make a statement to this effect during his visit. He has indicated that he will simply listen to his interlocutors.

There is strong PE demand regarding the Saharan issue. This issue is regularly raised by MEPs and heavily exploited by pro-Polisario groups, who exert significant pressure (notably within the S&D). The best way to manage this pressure is to contain it within the AFET framework and channel it through Mr. Panzeri, who is capable of being a credible interlocutor for all parties.

At first glance, Mr. Panzeri’s message is reassuring. He is very aware of the sensitivity of his visit to the Tindouf camps and makes a significant effort to justify himself and not permanently compromise his relations with Morocco. He seems to take seriously the recommendation not to go to the area east of the defense system and promises to keep the Mission informed about the progress of his program in Tindouf.

From a dynamic perspective, recent developments should be seen as a continuation of the methodical work started by Mr. Panzeri in the early months after his election as head of the Maghreb Delegation. His contacts with the Polisario (now culminating in the visit), contacts with Algerian authorities (including on the Saharan issue), the trust bridges he has built with his Moroccan interlocutors (through the CPM and his valuable support in the PE), and, above all, the “constructive ambiguity” with which he has surrounded his attitudes towards all parties, are manifestations of a long-term political agenda pursued deliberately, sometimes perilously, but always with tact and skill. It is hard not to see, also, a subliminal demonstration of a “capacity for harm,” showing how much Mr. Panzeri can be a valuable ally or a formidable opponent.

Viewed from this angle, recent developments reflect, in Mr. Panzeri’s political line, a continuity rarely observed among other MEPs. In this logic, it seems that the visit to Tindouf is a tactical milestone in the personal agenda of the President of the Maghreb Delegation; an agenda that could see a significant acceleration in the coming weeks and months.

Indeed, Mr. Panzeri plans to launch a “process” in the PE where the Saharan issue would be the subject of regular and institutionalized debate within the AFET Committee. At this stage, he is not clear about the objective of such a “process.” In these discussions, both with this Mission and with the co-chair of the CPM, he only indicates that it is about establishing a dialogue on the Saharan issue, without specifying whether this dialogue has an objective (in his view) or if it is an end in itself.

All of which argues for framing Mr. Panzeri’s knowledge of the Saharan issue and his short-term intentions. To this end, it should be noted that, at the invitation of the Moroccan co-chair of the CPM, Mr. Panzeri will be in Morocco from October 28 to November 1, 2011, just before his visit to Algeria, which will also take him to Tindouf. This Mission recommends that the President of the Maghreb Delegation have a meeting (or more) with a responsible party able to brief him appropriately on the Saharan issue and, if necessary, anticipate the message he will receive during the stages in Algiers and Tindouf of what could be termed his “tour with the concerned parties” on the Saharan issue.

Ambassador Menouar Alem
Permanent Representative of Morocco to the EU

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