Office of the Historian

316. Telegram From the Embassy in Morocco to the Department of State1

Rabat, June 21, 1967, 1148Z.

5635. 1. FonMin Laraki told me June 20 that FonMin meeting in Kuwait dealt with two basic resolutions. One was presented by the Moroccans at the outset and represented view of moderates. This provided for dealing with Arab–Israeli problem through diplomatic channels, stressing importance of immediate withdrawal of Israelis to 1948 armistice lines. The other resolution strongly supported by UAR, Algeria, and Syria provided for an all-out boycott, nationalization and [Page 537] elimination of all economic ties with imperialists (US and UK) as well as their ejection from “bases” such as Morocco and Libya. Morocco led moderates (I am happy report Libya supported Morocco) and was successful in having its resolution approved. I suspect diplomatic channels meant transfer FonMin meeting to New York and effort in UN to obtain withdrawal of Israelis.

2. Laraki told me he had hard time as “extremists” made all the arguments familiar from Radio Cairo, Algiers, and Istiqlal here and sought to pin down definition of US as an aggressor country as much as were the Israelis.

In his view, it will be impossible continue hold the line against the “extremists” if the US does not come out unequivocally for a withdrawal of Israeli forces. No Arab nation could accept principle of continued Israeli military occupation of Arab lands. In his view, it might be possible to combine the withdrawal with a UN guarantee of the political independence and territorial integrity of all the countries concerned. This is an interesting idea which would have the effect of internationalizing the tripartite declaration of 1950 and is worth exploring.

3. In any event, I must stress again the continued Israeli occupation of Arab lands including Jerusalem puts the moderates in an impossible position and gravely compromises our position with the Arab world as long as we do not state our position unequivocally on this subject in some appropriate forum, reconciling our interests in Israel at the same time.

Tasca
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Secret. Repeated to Algiers, Tunis, COMAC for POLAD, CINCUSNAVEUR, USCINCEUR for POLAD, USUN, Amman, Beirut, Jidda, Kuwait, London, Moscow, Paris, Tel Aviv, and Tripoli. Received at 5:36 a.m. on June 22.↩