249. Letter From Secretary of State Shultz to the Ambassador to Morocco (Nassif)1
As you assume your new responsibilities as United States Ambassador to Morocco, I want to review our objectives there and to outline some areas for your priority attention. These overall guidelines will be supplemented with specific, issue-related instructions as needed. I hope that you will be better able to approach specific issues and give them their appropriate weight in the light of the priority areas described below.
U.S. objectives in Morocco are to: (1) induce the GOM to reconsider its unity accord with Libya; (2) pursue appropriate levels of political, military and economic cooperation; (3) promote self-sustaining economic growth and political stability; and (4) work to avoid escalation of the Western Sahara dispute and to encourage the search for a political solution to that conflict.
Your overarching task will be to continue the strong, traditional and friendly relationships with the Kingdom of Morocco. Unfortunately, these now are troubled by Hassan’s arrangements with Qadhafi. Absent abrogation of the agreement, an immediate USG objective is to limit areas of Moroccan/Libyan cooperation. I am particularly concerned about the possible compromise of U.S. equipment and intelligence, and your alertness in forestalling such will be of great importance.
[Page 517]As you work with the Moroccan government, you should pay particular attention to development of a realistic perception of the policy and resource constraints which affect our bilateral relationship. Your careful, critical appraisal of Moroccan assistance requests and your recommendations on how to promote economic and social development will be especially important inputs in our program decisions. Our overall goal is to assist the GOM to carry out necessary economic reform measures with particular emphasis on reliance on competitive market forces and the private sector.
Our military relationship with Morocco provides the U.S. with critical strategic assets of major importance to the United States both in Europe and the Middle East. Continued access to Moroccan facilities is a high priority. We recognize the importance of adequately responding to Morocco’s legitimate security requirements, but the Moroccans must understand that our assistance is not designed either to compensate or to underwrite the costs of their Saharan conflict. We remain convinced that that dispute can only be resolved through political negotiations. We want to keep the parties to the conflict out in front and not to identify the USG too closely with either the Moroccan or Algerian positions.
The Mission’s ability to monitor issues affecting political stability should be improved, particularly reporting on groups not associated with traditional elites.
I know that you will take appropriate steps to ensure the greatest possible physical security for all U.S. mission personnel and property and support the morale of U.S. and FSN personnel.
In the course of your duties, you will have contact with many officials, on a variety of matters, and you will receive solicited and unsolicited advice and counsel on actions you should take. The line of authority for any action or decision on your part flows from the President to me and from me through the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs to you. I look to the NEA Assistant Secretary to issue instructions in my name and to serve as the primary communications link between us. You should channel all messages dealing with policy proposals, policy implementation, program activities and post operations to or through him.
I look forward to reviewing the goals and objectives statement for your mission. I am asking the Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern and North African Affairs to work with you on this statement, which will be forwarded to my office through the bureau.
As you undertake this challenging assignment, I wish you well in your many duties, and I reiterate my full confidence that you will be successful in your mission.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S Records, 1985 Nodis Memorandums: Lot 94D92, Exdis September 1985. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Roger Merrick (NEA/AFN) on August 13; cleared by Zweifel. The Department also transmitted the letter in telegram 285089 to Rabat, September 17. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D850658–0465)↩