Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume XXIV, North Africa

221. Telegram From Secretary of State Shultz to the Department of State and the White House¹

Secto 15075.

Rabat, December 11, 1983, 2331Z

NSC for Bud McFarlane. Dept for C. Hill. Subject: Memorandum for the President—Visit to Morocco; Discussion With King Hassan.

1. Secret—Entire text.

2. King Hassan of Morocco received me today with his usual warmth, candor, and interesting advice. He was much more subtle and understanding than the Tunisians had been about our relations with Israel.² He said he accepted with full confidence my explanation that our military cooperation with Israel was directed against the Soviets, not the Arabs, and that we had strongly reaffirmed to Shamir our intention to maintain close relations with our Arab friends and our determination to proceed with your September 1 peace proposal.

3. Hassan said he knew the U.S. needed an ally against the Soviets in the Middle East. He said, however, we could be the victim of a torrent of criticism at the coming January summit of Islamic countries³ unless we did two things. First, we should explain carefully our policies towards Israel. Second, we should divert attention from Lebanon and isolate Syria by creating new motion in the peace process.

4. He developed this latter concept in some detail. He had recently heard from Arafat that the PLO would undertake in writing to support negotiations with Israel by a Jordanian/Palestinian delegation in accordance with your September 1 proposal provided the USG agreed to Palestinian self-determination. (Hassan had made this same proposal some eight months ago and we dodged it because it required unacceptable changes in your proposals. I therefore reacted cautiously.)

5. Hassan went on to say that we should deal with the Syrian problem by creating a new focus of Middle Eastern attention on the peace process. Syria would find itself isolated and no longer in a position “to say yes or no on behalf of all Arabs.” He was pleased when I said I would report these views to you.

6. I told Hassan we thought this was time for us to strengthen our relations with Iraq and asked him for his advice and support. Hassan urged that we resume full diplomatic relations with Iraq, and volunteered to get word to the Iraqis that the U.S. was prepared to take this step. I accepted his offer and urged him to encourage the Iraqis to respond. Hassan also reaffirmed his intention to bring about the return of Egypt to the Islamic Conference, thus beginning to establish a better moderate counterweight to Syria.

7. We also took up several specific bilateral matters. I asked if he could expedite negotiations of a new VOA agreement and he agreed. He asked for help with the too rigorous economic conditions being imposed on him by the IMF and I agreed. Saying that he preferred our discussion to focus on global issues, he asked if he could send to Washington a “commission,” perhaps headed by his new Prime Minister, to discuss the details of our economic and military assistance and get some private investment problems straightened out. I replied we would welcome such a group and start inter-agency preparations immediately. Finally he spoke about his Western Sahara problem. He asked, not that we support his right to the area, but that we get out word that he was acting in good faith to hold a referendum which, he explained, he was certain would verify his claim. I replied we would not hesitate to say that we supported him on his commitment to the OAU referendum.

8. All in all, we had a good exchange on Middle Eastern issues and on how we can help each other in a number of specific areas. It is clear that Hassan is looking for more economic and military help from us. My conversation with him confirmed that our relations with Morocco are worth our investment in them.⁴

Shultz

1. Source: Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, [no N number]. Secret; Immediate; Nodis.
2. For a record of Shultz’s conversation with Bourguiba, see Document 311.
3. The Fourth Summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference was scheduled to be held in Casablanca January 16–19, 1984.
4. A complete record of the Shultz-Hassan conversation is in telegram 10269 from Rabat, December 14. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D830736–0509)