248. Letter From Acting Secretary of State Whitehead to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (McFarlane)1
I have just returned from an 11-day visit to the Middle East. As you know, my last stop was Morocco, where I had a long visit with King Hassan.2 I delivered the President’s letter which expressed serious concern about Morocco’s treaty with Libya.3
I emphasized to Hassan in very strong terms that this treaty puts a serious strain on his 200-year-old relationship with the U.S. I explained that Qadhafi is considered here as the epitome of evil, the terrorist head of an outlaw nation, and that the American public, the Congress, and the Administration do not understand and have enormous difficulty in accepting this relationship. The King seemed to understand our concerns but explained that he had concluded the treaty in order to get Libya out of the Western Sahara war and that this had been accomplished.
At the end of the formal session with the King, he took me aside for a ten-minute private talk. He said that he could not terminate the treaty with Qadhafi, as I had urged him to, or they would come back into the Western Sahara war. He stated, however, that as a result of his relationship with Qadhafi, he now has considerable influence over him and is in a position to take specific steps to moderate his international behavior. He offered to use his influence with Qadhafi to advance American interests and virtually asked for an opportunity to prove to us that his relationship with Qadhafi would produce positive results for the United States. “Give me an assignment,” he said.
In this private talk he also said that “nothing in this part of the world is forever,” and if the United States could help him achieve his objective at the UN to get a referendum on the Western Sahara, over the objections of Algeria, an achievement which would end the war, then he would no longer need the treaty.
He said that he hopes to hear from you some time after August 25 regarding your plans to visit Morocco and that he would very much welcome such a visit. We are taking a hard look at Hassan’s comments [Page 516] and, of course, stand ready to assist in every way in preparing for your own possible visit to Rabat.
Sincerely,
- Source: Reagan Library, Near East and South Asia Affairs Directorate, Morocco 1985 (08/05/1985–09/30/1985). Secret.↩
- See Document 247.↩
- See Document 245.↩
- Whitehead signed “John” above this typed signature.↩