Cablegate: U/S Burns' Letter to Arab Maghreb Union

VZCZCXRO8786
PP RUEHTRO
DE RUEHRB #0461 1411540
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201540Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8597
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 4789
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 3749
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0315
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 9627
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 4105

UNCLAS RABAT 000461

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPDC PREL PTER ECON SOCI SMIG XI MO MR LY
AG, TS
SUBJECT: U/S BURNS' LETTER TO ARAB MAGHREB UNION

REF: STATE 51981

1. On May 19, Poloff delivered reftel letter, covered by a
transmittal letter signed by Ambassador Riley, to Zoheir
Merchaoui, AMU Counselor for Political and Information
Affairs. Merchaoui received the text with enthusiasm.
Taking note of the proposal to convene all AMU member state
Foreign Ministers in New York on the margins of UNGA,
Merchaoui looked forward to a continued strengthening of
US-AMU cooperation. (The Embassy also forwarded a copy of
U/S Burns' letter to Lahcen Saile, AMU desk officer at the
Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.)

2. Merchaoui advised poloff that the AMU Secretariat was
moving to a new and larger headquarters building in the Rabat
neighborhood of Agdal on June 1. The new location would a
welcome change from the AMU's current small and very modest
headquarters, he stated. The new building was being donated
by the Moroccan Government, which had taken the initiative in
suggesting the move, Merchaoui reported.

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Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat
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Riley

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