Tags : Morocco Leaks, France, Western Sahara, Mariame Diallo, United States, human rights, MINURSO, April deadline,
The Permanent Mission of the Kingdom
of Morocco to the United Nations
New York TELEPHONE: (212) 421-1580
FAX: (212) 980-1512/(212) 421-7826 Date : 18/02/2014
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND COOPERATION RABAT
PRIMARY RECIPIENT: CaAs/1- CAB/2- SG/4- DG/8/1 wwnvriweNTIEL FAX N%:FC/ 4% /OK DATE: February 18, 2014 PAGE(S):
SUBJECT: National Issue/Meeting with the French Mission.
I have the honor to inform you that the French expert in charge of the national issue, Ms. Mariame Diallo, has informed this Mission of the following:
I: American Approach:
1- The Deputy Permanent Representative to the American Mission, Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, recently spoke with her French counterpart, Mr. Alexis Lamek, regarding the April deadline concerning the Moroccan Sahara. She made the following remarks:
– The American side wants to avoid the problems of last year;
– This year, they wish to better prepare for the April deadline, by avoiding acting alone (as last year) and by conducting exhaustive consultations before circulating a draft resolution to the Group of Friends;
– The American Administration faces a lot of pressure from NGOs in Washington on the issue of human rights in the Sahara;
– The Americans do not want to have lengthy discussions on the issue of human rights next April;
– This is why they want action from Morocco on three main aspects, namely: the non-judgment of civilians by the Military Tribunal; the legalization of « Sahrawi » NGOs (ASVDH and CODESA, with particular emphasis on the first), and finally, international monitoring of the human rights situation under the aegis of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (visit of Ms. Pillay to Rabat and announcement of a visit by the OHCHR to the Moroccan Sahara and the Tindouf camps);
– Thus, the Americans will be able to present these initiatives as a response to the pressure from NGOs;
– To a question from Mr. Lamek on the American attitude if Morocco did not respond, or insufficiently, to the expectations of Washington, Ms. DiCarlo did not answer, but considered that the language on human rights in the resolution is not strong enough and should be strengthened;
– The Americans are taking similar steps with France and Great Britain in Rabat and London.
For her part, the French diplomat reportedly emphasized the efforts made by Morocco to promote and protect human rights in the Sahara, the responsibility of Algeria and the Polisario in blocking the political process, the regional nature of the dispute, as well as the importance of protecting the rights of « refugees » in the Tindouf camps by conducting a census.
2- Remarks and comments:
This Mission reminded Ms. Diallo of all the measures taken by Morocco in the field of human rights, which fully meet the commitments it has voluntarily made;
The American approaches, initiated early this year, aim to bring the positions of the P3 closer during the negotiation of the resolution within the Group of Friends. They also aim to probe and neutralize France, Morocco’s main ally. Their main objective is to put pressure on Morocco to take action on the three aforementioned points;
According to the French, the negotiation of the resolution next April could once again prove difficult, because the Americans have not digested “their diplomatic failure” of last year, and will therefore try “to score points this year”, by trying to strengthen the part on human rights, while avoiding confrontation;
For the moment, the American approach is not yet clear, because on the one hand they say they want to avoid prolonged discussions on human rights next April, “if Morocco undertakes certain measures”, and on the other hand, they express the wish to strengthen the language on human rights in the resolution;
While maintaining our constructive dialogue with the P3, it is essential to approach, as soon as possible, the two other members of the Group of Friends, namely the Russians and the Spanish, in addition to the Chinese;
It is of the utmost importance to secure a firm and combative position from France and a positive attitude from Spain, in order to contain American activism. The British would, according to the French diplomat, be entirely in agreement with the content and format of the current American approach.
II. Report of the Secretary-General:
The French expert informed us that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations has begun the process of drafting the Secretary-General’s report on the Moroccan Sahara. In this regard, she will meet tomorrow with Ms. Susan Allee, « Head of the Integrated Operational Team for the Middle East and Western Sahara », regarding France’s observations on the content of the report.
In this regard, this Mission shared with the French expert the points that I intend to develop with the Departments of Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Operations, and the Office of the Secretary-General, in the coming days:
The latest reports from the Secretary-General have contributed to complicating the negotiation of the resolution;
The report must be protected from being instrumentalized by one of the parties to the dispute. However, by wrongly focusing on the peripheral issue of human rights, the latest reports have antagonized Morocco and played into the hands of the Polisario and Algeria. This year’s report should not focus on the issue of human rights, should recognize Morocco’s achievements in this area, and should avoid making any conclusions or recommendations that would compromise the neutrality of the United Nations;
Similarly, reserving an entire section for the alleged challenges faced by MINURSO, and overstating these challenges, goes against the cooperation that this Mission enjoys from the Moroccan authorities and has given an erroneous picture of the reality on the ground. The 2014 report must close this so-called issue of challenges and highlight the measures taken by Morocco to strengthen its cooperation with MINURSO;
The part relating to the African Union should no longer appear in the report, because this organization, which had a certain task within the framework of the settlement plan, no longer plays any role in the political process conducted under the sole auspices of the United Nations. In addition, Morocco rejects all attempts by the African Union to interfere in the political process and therefore, it will not accept any mention in the report of alleged contacts with this organization;
Chapters such as those on irregular migrants or missing persons no longer have any reason to appear in the report;
The issue of registering the populations of the Tindouf camps was treated very sparingly in the latest reports. It is time that it receives all necessary attention in this year’s report, as it constitutes a moral, political and humanitarian obligation;
The report should focus on the search for a political solution according to the parameters established by the successive resolutions of the Security Council;
Particular attention must be paid to certain concepts used in the report that are those of our adversaries.
In anticipation of my discussions with the aforementioned UN officials, I would be grateful if you would provide me with all the information that could support our arguments (monitoring of visits by special procedures, regulatory and legislative measures, actions of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and of the CNDH, visits to the southern provinces, etc.).
High Consideration
The Ambassador, Permanent Representative
Mohamed LOULICHKI
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