Cablegate: 1992 Annual Terrorism Report

P 171050Z NOV 92
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8999
INFO AMCONSUL CASABLANCA

UNCLAS RABAT 011918

DEPARTMENT FOR S/CT FOR REAP

E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR
TAGS: PTER MO
SUBJECT: 1992 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

REF: STATE 338430

1. POST RESPONSES ARE KEYED TO QUESTIONS LISTED IN REFTEL PARA
5.

A. WE ARE AWARE OF NO HOST GOVERNMENT PROSECUTIONS INVOLVING
INTERNATIONAL OR DOMESTIC TERRORISM IN 1992.

B. WE KNOW OF NO EXTRADITIONS OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS THAT WERE
CARRIED OUT OR REQUESTED IN 1992.

C. THERE ARE NO IMPEDIMENTS TO GOM PROSECUTIONS OF TERRORISTS.
MOROCCO DOES NOT HAVE AN EXTRADITION TREATY WITH THE U.S., BUT
WOULD LIKELY COOPERATE ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS WITH ANY REQUEST
FOR THE EXTRADITION OF A TERRORIST.

D. THE GOM HAS CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED A WILLINGNESS TO
RESPOND TO SECURITY CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY THOSE INVOLVING
POTENTIAL TERRORIST THREATS. IN GENERAL, HOWEVER, THE GOM
PREFERS TO HANDLE THESE ISSUES QUIETLY AND DOES NOT ISSUE PUBLIC
STATEMENTS ON SECURITY ISSUES. IN APRIL 1992 MOROCCAN
REPRESENTATIVES TO THE UNSC DID PUBLICLY CONDEMN THE ATTACK BY AN
ORGANIZED MOB ON THE VENEZUELAN EMBASSY IN TRIPOLI, WHICH
FOLLOWED THE PASSAGE OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL (UNSC) RESOLUTION
731. AT THE SAME TIME, HOWEVER, THE GOM REPRESENTATIVES URGED
THAT THE UNSC TAKE NOTE OF LIBYAN PROMISES TO BRING TO JUSTICE
THOSE RESPONSIBLE, PROVIDE COMPENSATION AND OFFER PROTECTION IN
THE FUTURE. IN SEPTEMBER 1992 THE MOROCCAN PRESS REPORTED THAT
THE GOM HAD PROTESTED TO SUDANESE AUTHORITIES (AUG/SEP 92) THE
PRESENCE OF MOROCCAN OPPOSITION ELEMENTS IN SUPPOSED IRANIAN
BACKED TERRORIST TRAINING CAMPS IN SUDAN.

E. THE GOM PARTICIPATES AS AN OBSERVER IN THE ANNUAL MINISTERIAL
CONFERENCE OF THE TREVI GROUP. THE U.S. AND MOROCCO MAINTAIN AN
ONGOING BILATERAL DIALOGUE ON COUNTER-TERRORISM ISSUES.

F. THE GOM DOES NOT SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, EITHER
RHETORICALLY OR MATERIALLY. MOROCCANS ARE ALWAYS PROUD TO
ANNOUNCE THAT NO TERRORIST INCIDENT HAS EVER OCCURRED IN MOROCCO.

MOROCCO STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE PALESTINIANS' CLAIM TO SELF-
DETERMINATION AND CONSIDERS THE PLO THE LEGITIMATE REPRESENTATIVE
OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. MOROCCO HAS LONG WORKED TO MODERATE
THE PLO, HOWEVER, AND SUPPORTS A PEACEFUL, NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT
OF THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT. MOROCCO HAS REGULAR HIGH-LEVEL
CONTACT WITH THE PLO LEADERSHIP. THE GOM ENCOURAGES THE PLO TO
LIVE UP TO ITS COMMITMENT TO RENOUNCE TERRORISM AND PARTICIPATE
FULLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS.

G. THE GOM HAS NOT MADE ANY PUBLIC STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF
CUBA, IRAN, IRAQ, NORTH KOREA OR SYRIA ON TERRORISM ISSUES.
NEITHER HAS THE GOM EVER MADE PUBLIC STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF
LIBYA ON TERRORISM ISSUES, BUT THE GOM HAS OFTEN STATED ITS
BELIEF THAT LIBYA HAS REFORMED ITS WAYS AND ABANDONED SUPPORT FOR
TERRORISM, AND THAT THE U.S. AND U.K. SHOULD ENTER INTO DIALOGUE
WITH LIBYA. MOROCCO ABSTAINED FROM THE UNSC'S VOTE ON RESOLUTION
731 ON 31 MARCH 1992 AND APPARENTLY RAISED NO OBJECTIONS TO THE
MAGHREB ARAB UNION'S NOVEMBER 11 SUMMIT COMMUNIQUE CONTAINING
LANGUAGE URGING THE UNSC TO "RECONSIDER" ITS SANCTIONS STANCE
AGAINST LIBYA.

H. THERE HAVE BEEN NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ATTITUDE ON THE
PART OF THE GOM SINCE 1991. IT REMAINS OPPOSED TO TERRORISM.

I. MOROCCO IS LINKED TO LIBYA BY BOTH COUNTRIES'S MEMBERSHIP IN
THE ARAB MAGHREB UNION, AS WELL AS BY EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL TIES.

PARTLY BECAUSE OF THESE TIES, THE GOM HAS SOUGHT THE LIFTING OF
SANCTIONS WHILE AT THE SAME TIME FOLLOWING MOST OF THEM. WE
RECALL THAT LAST JANUARY, MOROCCO AS A UN SECURITY COUNCIL
MEMBER, VOTED FOR THE SANCTIONS RESOLUTION AGAINST LIBYA. ALL
FLIGHTS BETWEEN MOROCCO AND LIBYA CEASED AS OF 15 APRIL. THE
LIBYAN AIRLINES OFFICE IN CASABLANCA REMAINS OPEN, BUT DOES NOT
SELL TICKETS OR BOOK RESERVATIONS TO LIBYA. THE LIBYAN
DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE (18 LIBYAN DIPLOMATS AND ADMINISTRATIVE
PERSONNEL) IN RABAT, HOWEVER, HAS NOT BEEN REDUCED. APPARENTLY
THE GOM IS CONCERNED THAT AN EFFORT TO FORCE A REDUCTION IN THE
LIBYAN DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE WOULD RESULT IN LIBYAN RETALIATION,
WHICH WOULD IN TURN IMPACT ON THE GOM'S ABILITY TO PROTECT
MOROCCAN RESIDENTS IN LIBYA. (COMMENT: THE GOM CLAIMS THAT
THERE ARE CA. 100,000 MOROCCANS LIVING IN LIBYA.)

VREELAND.

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