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Viewing cable 05RABAT2540, AMBASSADOR TRAVELS TO MOROCCO'S DESERT SOUTH

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
05RABAT2540 2005-12-20 16:33 2011-08-24 16:30 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Rabat
VZCZCXRO1444
RR RUEHLMC
DE RUEHRB #2540/01 3541633
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201633Z DEC 05
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2329
INFO RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 0991
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 0827
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RABAT 002540 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EB, NEA/MAG AND NEA/PD 
STATE PASS USAID FOR JENNIFER RAGLAND 
USDA FOR FAS/FAA RANDY HAGER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAID EAGR KMCA SENV ASEC PGOV MO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR TRAVELS TO MOROCCO'S DESERT SOUTH 
 
 
1.  Summary:  Ambassador traveled to Morocco's southeastern 
province of Errachidia December 6-9 to review USG assistance 
programs in the area and explore ways the Government of 
Morocco might use Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) funding 
to generate income and employment in the overwhelmingly 
rural desert region.  Ambassador dedicated a USAID education 
project, spoke with the local chamber of commerce, 
inaugurated a girls' dormitory built with Office of Defense 
Cooperation (ODC) humanitarian assistance funds, met with a 
think tank, visited a Peace Corps volunteer site and toured 
desert and oasis agriculture with Ministry of Agriculture 
officials.  The trip allowed the Ambassador to explore how 
the USG can best promote economic development and reform in 
Morocco's desert regions and gave him the opportunity to 
discuss with local political and economic leaders their 
priorities and expectations of programs like the MCA and the 
U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement.  Ambassador was deeply 
impressed by the existing development efforts of local 
leaders and optimistic for the success of MCA assistance to 
the area in conjunction with the GOM's National Human 
Development Initiative (INDH).  MCA assistance in funding 
the INDH was mentioned by interlocutors at nearly every 
event, indicating the high hopes that Errachidia officials 
have in both programs.  The visit received wide coverage 
from French and Arabic-language press.  End Summary. 
 
2.  The province of Errachidia covers more than one-tenth of 
Moroccan national territory.  It is bordered on the north by 
the mountains of the High Atlas, and extends south as a vast 
dry plateau onto the Sahara desert.  Errachidia's 600,000 
inhabitants are mostly engaged in small-scale desert 
agriculture in and around the region's three desert oases, 
which once formed part of a historical caravan trade route 
from sub-Saharan Africa to the Mediterranean.  Tourism in 
the area is centered on the famed sand dunes of Merzouga, 
frequently used as a movie set for Hollywood productions. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
REGIONAL LEADERSHIP ON SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT CHALLLENGES 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
3.  Ambassador began his trip December 6 with a call on the 
Wali (regional governor) of Meknes-Tafilalet, Hassan Aourid. 
Aourid, a former Palace spokesman and classmate of King 
Mohammed VI, listed water management and human capital 
development as two of his top priorities for the region.  He 
noted the importance of olive oil production but said palm 
dates could become even more profitable than olives if 
technologies used in Israel and the Emirates could be 
adopted and the "archaic" ways of production currently used 
in Morocco be abolished. 
 
4.  Aourid said tourism could also be profitable, but 
lamented what he considered limited transportation options 
and "serious security problems."  Aourid explained that when 
he became Wali the crime rate was very high and pockets of 
Salafiya Jihadiya terrorists remained at large.  While these 
issues have been largely dealt with, he said, security 
continues to pose a problem. 
 
5.  While Aourid was not surprisingly unfamiliar with the 
MCA, he gave his views on the King's Human Development 
Initiative (INDH), emphasizing that it is not intended as a 
charity program, but rather will be a way to help people to 
help themselves.  In the Meknes region the INDH will support 
olive oil cooperatives and handicrafts.  In closing, the 
Wali reiterated his request for U.S. assistance on water 
management, to include meetings with technical experts on 
the issue.  The Ambassador explained that the MCA would be 
important in this regard as technical experts would work 
closely with the regions as they develop their projects. 
The Wali thanked the Ambassador for his provision of English- 
language scholarships in Meknes and said he'd like to see 
the program expanded to other parts of the region. 
 
6.  Following his call on the Wali, Ambassador sat down with 
Meknes mayor and member of the Islamist Party for Justice 
and Development (PJD) Aboubakr Belkora.  Belkora was 
accompanied by several commune representatives, all 
affiliated with the PJD.  Ambassador announced that Belkora 
had been selected for an International Visitor Leadership 
Program (IVLP) and said he hoped that Belkora could 
participate in this three-week exchange program.  Belkora 
said the invitation was an honor for him and his party and 
emphasized his desire to have a closer relationship between 
the PJD and the Embassy.  The PJD strives to be a party of 
"good governance and tolerance," he said, and is grateful to 
 
RABAT 00002540  002 OF 003 
 
 
have the support of others to help it achieve these 
objectives. 
 
7.  Belkora was also unaware of the MCA, but echoing Aourid, 
said his two main priorities are developing agriculture - 
particularly water management - and tourism in the Meknes 
area.  Belkora described his vision for creating a tourist 
destination in Meknes based on the concept of Disney World, 
and introduced the Ambassador to a group of young Moroccan 
professionals who are working with Moroccans in Orlando to 
create this "Meknes Disney."  The mayor said he had already 
been in contact with U.S. officials regarding the 
possibility of assistance (NFI) for this project which he 
said would go a long way toward alleviating poverty in the 
Meknes region. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
ASSISTING EDUCATION THROUGH USAID AND ODC 
----------------------------------------- 
 
8.  In the desert mining town of Rich, Ambassador dedicated 
three girls' dormitories built with Office of Defense 
Cooperation (ODC) Humanitarian Assistance funds.  The 
dormitories house girls from far-flung rural villages where 
no secondary schools exist.  The dorms house 48 girls each, 
allowing them to attend school.  Ambassador delivered 
remarks to an audience of 150 teachers, students and local 
officials, and presented plaques to the directors of each of 
the three dormitories. 
 
9.  On December 7, Ambassador inaugurated a USAID-funded 
multimedia lab at Moulay Rachid middle school in Errachidia. 
The visit brought out local authorities, members of civil 
society and parents to celebrate the inauguration of the 
media lab, established with the support of the USAID ALEF 
Project.  The laboratory comprises ten computers networked 
through a local server to the internet and is part of a 
larger initiative of USAID to support the Government of 
Morocco in its recently launched effort to equip all 8,600 
of Morocco's primary and secondary schools nationwide.  The 
ALEF Project's main contribution is to develop and pilot 
materials and strategies to train teachers on information 
and communication technologies, to strengthen the quality 
and relevance of their instruction.  School administration 
has crafted a schedule that ensures all 40-plus teachers 
bring their students to the lab at least once a week. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
A PROUD BERBER HERITAGE: DISCUSSION WITH THINK TANK TARIK 
IBN ZYAD 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
10.  Ambassador met with members of the Centre Tarik Ibn 
Zyad think tank on December 7 to gain insight into the 
cultural heritage of the region and explore ways in which 
programs like the Government of Morocco's INDH and the MCA 
might be most effectively used to the benefit of the region. 
The Centre Tarik Ibn Zyad was founded in January 1999 by the 
Wali of Meknes-Tafilalet, Hassan Aourid, and receives the 
bulk of its funding from the King's Mohammed V Foundation 
for Solidarity. 
 
11.  Ambassador received presentations on the archeological 
and cultural heritage of Errachidia province and learned of 
its historical role as the geographical origin of the 
Alaouite dynasty.  Presentations detailed the center's 
involvement in the development of Errachidia province; the 
mosaic of peoples and traditions in the region; the historic 
role of the medieval city of Sijilmassa as a stop on the 
Sahara caravan route between Tangiers and Timbuktu; the 
oasis ecosystem; and the status of rural women. 
 
 
------------------------------ 
ERRACHIDIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 
------------------------------ 
 
12.  At a working lunch hosted by Errachidia Chamber of 
Commerce president Mohammed Belhassan, Ambassador discussed 
the obstacles facing small town business leaders in an 
isolated desert region.  With virtually no large-scale 
industrial production, business in Errachidia consists 
almost exclusively of small-scale distribution and tourism 
services.  In the absence of any manufacturing or 
agribusiness, and lacking access to international gateways 
due to the region's isolation, Errachidia stands to gain 
little from Morocco's free trade agreement with the United 
 
RABAT 00002540  003 OF 003 
 
 
States.  Business owners sought English language training 
and links with U.S. chambers of commerce to share expertise 
through exchange programs and reciprocal visits. 
 
---------------------- 
PEACE CORPS SITE VISIT 
---------------------- 
 
13.  Ambassador paid a visit to two Peace Corps volunteers 
in the town of Tinjdad, 40 miles west of Errachidia.  The 
volunteers showed the Ambassador their work in the areas of 
small business development and youth development, and 
discussed some of the difficulties small artisans have in 
marketing and distributing their wares.  The Youth 
Development volunteer teaches English as an after-school 
activity and conducts a Youth Cafe in the evenings which 
offers young girls and boys an opportunity to learn more 
about America.  The Small Business Development volunteer 
assists local artisans with marketing and profitability 
assessments. 
 
14.  The Ambassador also visited a local family's home that 
has played host to three previous Peace Corps Volunteers. 
The Ambassador's visit to this small and isolated 
community became a major event that gave deserved 
recognition to both the Volunteers living there and the 
community leaders who are supporting and working with them. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
OASIS AGRICULTURE: ERRACHIDIA'S SINE QUA NON 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
15.  A desert region, Errachidia would not support any 
appreciable population were it not for the three oasis 
valleys that run the length of the province.  Ministry of 
Agriculture officials took the Ambassador through the 
largest of these, the Ziz Valley oasis, to demonstrate the 
importance of desert agriculture to the region and the 
difficulties local producers face due to water scarcity. 
Ambassador toured oasis plots of small-scale subsistence 
agriculture, consisting mostly of date palms, olives and 
alfalfa; saw how water is gathered and distributed through 
an ancient system of underground canals called "khettaras," 
and learned how the region faces encroachment of the desert 
into production areas.  Ambassador discussed how MCA funding 
can be most effectively used within the context of the INDH 
to generate income and employment for the region. 
 
16.  At a wrap-up press conference in the city of Erfoud, 
Ambassador detailed for the 12 print and TV journalists 
present his impressions of existing development efforts in 
the region and how MCA funding can be used to improve 
conditions.  Press questions focused on the U.S.-Morocco 
bilateral relationship and the level of U.S. assistance to 
the region of Errachidia, particularly in the fields of 
agriculture, health care, job creation, and education. 
 
17.  Press and broadcast coverage of the Ambassador's visit 
to Errachidia was ample.  On December 8, Agence Maghreb 
Arabe Presse (MAP) issued a story on the visit which 
appeared in several local dailies.  In addition, on December 
11, Arabic-language daily Al Alam (circulation 55,000) 
published an article entitled "The U.S. Envisages Increased 
Support for Revenue-Generating Projects in Morocco." 
Government-run, French-language television station RTM 
(viewership 30 million) aired on its prime time news program 
excerpts from the Ambassador's dedication ceremony at the 
Rich dormitory for girls, as well as his inauguration of the 
USAID-funded multi-media laboratory at the Moulay Rachid 
Middle School.  The same day, French-language daily Le Matin 
published a favorable article under the title, "Ambassador 
Riley in Errachidia."