US embassy cable - 05RABAT1853

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 RABAT 001853 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DAS CARPENTER, NEA/MAG, NEA/PI 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
ROME FOR ROSE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/02/2010 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, KMPI, KDEM, MO, G-8 
SUBJECT: DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE DIALOGUE:  ITALIAN NGO SAYS 
PREPARATIONS MOSTLY ON TRACK 
 
REF: A. RABAT 1804 AND PREVIOUS 
 
     B. TUNIS 1892 
 
Classified By: DCM Wayne Bush for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  On September 1, Niccolo Figa-Talamanca and 
Alison Smith, representatives of the Italian NGO "No Peace 
without Justice" (NPWJ), briefed Poloffs on preparations for 
the upcoming Democracy Assistance Dialogue (DAD) to be held 
in Morocco on October 1-3.  While Figa-Talamanca and Smith 
explained that planning was basically on track, and were 
pleased that invitation letters to ministers had gone out, 
NPWJ has not settled on a venue for the event but is leaning 
toward Rabat instead of the coastal town of Skhirat 20 
minutes outside the capital.  They identified two substantive 
issues that still need to be resolved with the GOM:  first, 
NPWJ wants to ensure that the Moroccan civil society 
participants are seen as co-hosts of the event; and two, they 
want the outcome statement to be a "consensus document" and 
not a chairman's summary as the GOM is currently advocating. 
Figa-Talamanca said he had no reason to believe an 
endorsement of the Foundation for the Future would not be 
part of the outcome statement, but he recommended, knowing 
the importance to the US, that the US keep an eye on this 
issue and be prepared to intervene directly with the GOM if 
necessary.  Due to the unavailability of staff of the 
Moroccan NGO Alternatives during August (most of Morocco is 
on holiday during August), Figa-Talamanca explained that 
Maroc 2020 was now the lone counterpart to NPWJ among 
Moroccan NGOs.   The Moroccan MFA, NPWJ, and the Italian 
Embassy will brief G-8 and BMENA Ambassadors on the DAD on 
September 6 in Rabat.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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Organization of the October Dialogue 
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2.  (U) On September 1, Polcouns and Poloff met with Niccolo 
Figa-Talamanca and Alison Smith of NPWJ to discuss the 
organization of the October 1-3 DAD meeting.  Figa-Talamanca 
explained that some eleven staff members have arrived in 
Morocco to help with the organization of the meeting.  He 
said NPWJ was leaning away from Skhirat, twenty minutes 
outside of Rabat along the Atlantic coast, as a venue, 
primarily because of the attractiveness of the Rabat Hilton 
as a conference site.  He envisaged erecting tents on the 
Hilton grounds for meals and discussions.  NPWJ designers, 
following the theme established in Venice, envisage devising 
a table arrangement in the form of an eight-sided star, 
allowing ministers to sit at the same table as civil society 
representatives.  Figa-Talamanca explained the seating and 
symbolism was important to ensure that government and civil 
society are seen as equals during this dialogue.  While not 
finalized, NPWJ believes that this arrangement will 
facilitate discussion and convey the overall message of 
government and civil society on an equal footing. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Figa-Talamanca explained that the colloquium (the 
Morocco event is now formally known as the "International 
Colloquium on Political Pluralism and Electoral Processes") 
will focus on three areas:  (a) technical aspects of the 
electoral process, e.g., regulations, OSCE practices, laws, 
polling; (b) political pluralism through the media, e.g., the 
role the media plays during elections, how information is 
disseminated, the difference between state-owned and 
privately-owned media organizations; and, (c) the status, 
standards, and role of political parties.  (Comment:  these 
are the same three areas noted in the materials faxed to 
NEA/MAG per Ref A).  Underlying these three focus areas is 
the purpose of preparing civil society organizations for 
interaction with governmental structures as well as the wider 
public.  Figa-Talamanca stated that the end result of the 
colloquium is to have the participants endorse that political 
pluralism requires both the government and civil society. 
 
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Issues to Resolve 
----------------- 
 
4.  (C) Figa-Talamanca explained that there were two "pending 
political issues" that NPWJ needed to work out with the GOM: 
first, NPWJ wanted to ensure that Moroccan civil society 
representatives (most of them still not identified) were seen 
as co-hosts of the colloquium.  He said government and civil 
society representatives would serve as co-chairs for the 
working groups, and that was also important.  The second 
issue, he said, was to ensure that the outcome document was a 
consensus document.  He said the MFA (Director for Bilateral 
Affairs Youssef Amrani) was pushing for the outcome summary 
to be a chairman's statement.  He said the MFA "fears" 
getting into a negotiation over the text.  Figa-Talamanca 
acknowledged that the invitation letters have been 
deliberately vague on this subject, to allow time for NPWJ 
and the GOM to sort it out.  He emphasized that Amrani does 
not want the GOM embarrassed during the DAD and accordingly 
prefers that much of the discussion remains "generic." 
Figa-Talamanca emphasized that the outcome document need not 
be ground-breaking or unique -- merely a positive statement 
on the dialogue and the process, "to which everyone can 
applaud." 
 
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Foundation for the Future 
------------------------- 
 
5.  (SBU) Figa-Talamanca said he knew how important the 
Foundation for the Future was to the US.  He saw no reason 
why the Foundation would not get mention and favorable 
treatment at the colloquium and in the outcome document.  He 
urged the US, nevertheless, to follow this issue closely and 
be prepared to intervene directly with the GOM if necessary 
to ensure a positive outcome. 
 
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Briefing the G-8 and BMENA Countries 
------------------------------------ 
 
6.  (SBU) NPWJ is preparing background papers on the three 
focus areas noted above.  These papers will be introduced at 
a briefing of G-8 and BMENA Ambassadors in Rabat on September 
7.  Figa-Talamanca said he had had asked the British 
Ambassador in Rabat to make a short statement at the briefing 
supporting the DAD.  Figa-Talamanca hoped that NPWJ Secretary 
General Gianfranco would be able to attend the Rabat 
briefing, which would chaired by the MFA, NPWJ, and the 
Italian Ambassador.  Figa-Talamanca hoped the King would be 
able to receive Gianfranco at some point during his visit. 
 
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Maroc 2020 
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7.  (SBU) Figa-Talamanca said NPWJ originally wanted a 
committee of NGOs with which to work in organizing the DAD. 
He said Amrani, however, was concerned about not being to 
exert sufficient control over such a body, and had designated 
two NGOs, Maroc 2020 and Alternatives, as the appropriate 
counterparts for NPWJ.  Alternative members were unavailable 
in August, Figa-Talamanca said, so Maroc 2020 had emerged as 
NPWJ's sole counterpart.  Alternatives, nevertheless, would 
participate in the DAD, he hoped. 
 
8.  (SBU) Figa-Talamanca said Maroc 2020 Director Ali Belhaj 
was actively trying to encourage buy-in to the DAD within 
Moroccan civil society and the media, many of whom had been 
critical of the Forum for the Future.  Figa-Talamanca said 
Belhaj had met with the Islamist Party of Justice and 
Development (whose Secretary General had participated in the 
Venice dialogue) and members of the Moroccan media such as Le 
Journal editor Aboubakr Jamai, who had been critical of the 
Forum for the Future. 
 
9.  (SBU) NPWJ hopes as many as thirty NGO representatives 
from Morocco will attend the DAD, Figa-Talamanca said, since 
the colloquium is on Morocco's home turf.  Two to three 
representatives from each of the other BMENA countries will 
attend the DAD.  He said the full list of Moroccan 
participants is not yet available. 
 
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US Follow-up 
------------ 
 
10.  (SBU) Polcouns asked if there was anything in particular 
the US could do at this point to support the organization of 
the colloquium.  Figa-Talamanca said he hoped the US would 
urge the best possible representation from government 
ministers.  He said it was not critical to have foreign 
ministers at the colloquium, but really ministers that 
oversee election processes in their countries. 
 
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Comment 
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11.  (C) We will remain in close contact with the NPWJ team 
and the MFA in Rabat and report on new developments. 
Amrani's desire for a chairman's summary is based on the 
success of this approach at the Forum for the Future 
preparatory meetings in New York and at the Forum itself. 
Amrani told DCM separately he intends to share the draft 
Chair's statement with the US and wants it to be a document 
that helps advance US objectives in supporting reform. 
 
RILEY