260. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Morocco1
SUBJECT
- Letter from President to King Hassan re Breaking Treaty of Oujda.
Ref:
1. S—Entire text.
2. Following is approved revised text of Presidential letter to King Hassan. No signed original will be issued.
3. Begin text: Your Majesty: It will be no surprise to you to hear of my satisfaction over your decisiveness in breaking the Treaty of Union with Libya. From the outset, I and my government have had serious reservations about that union, and it is a measure of our abiding friendship that we have been able to have such an open dialogue on this issue over the past two years.
[Page 542]We remain committed to a firm policy of countering Libyan acts of terrorism with all vigor. Qadhafi’s repugnant use of terrorism as state policy has conditioned my own government’s policies towards Libya to seek to isolate him and thus diminish his capacity for threatening the peace and security of Libya’s neighbors.
Your Majesty, you are well aware of several of the actions which the United States Government has taken in seeking to constrain Qadhafi. The USG has both the political will and military capability to act directly against Libya if necessary. Your good personal friend and my able Ambassador to the U.N., General Walters will be in Europe this week to consult again with allied governments on appropriate actions which might be taken to contain the Libyan menace.
I have instructed Ambassador Nassif to deliver this message and to discuss with you and your government both the implications of this welcome decision by Your Majesty and how we might jointly proceed to deal with threats that might be posed to Morocco by the Qadhafi regime.4
Again, please accept my heartiest congratulations on the action you have taken. I look forward to seeing you in Washington at a mutually convenient date.
Your friend,
Ronald Reagan.
End text.
- Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S Records, 1986 Nodis Telegrams: Lot 95D23, Rabat 1986 Nodis. Secret; Flash; Nodis. Drafted by Roger Merrick (NEA/AFN); cleared by Roscoe Suddarth (NEA), Ussery, Quinn, Vladimir Lehovich (M), Morton, and Laurie Tracy (S/S–O); approved by Armacost.↩
- In telegram 276002 to Rabat, September 3, the Department transmitted the text of the original version of Reagan’s letter to Hassan. (Ibid.)↩
- In telegram 8742 from Rabat, September 3, Nassif reported: “Following his courageous decisive action in abrogating the Oujda Accord Hassan will I think expect his first communication from the President on this subject to convey an indication that the U.S. is prepared to stand by his side if need be, as he faces the uncertain future menace from Qadhafi.” Nassif continued that the original message from Reagan was “too mild and will come as a disappointment to Hassan.”(Ibid.) He then proposed revisions to the letter received in telegram 276002. (See footnote 2, above.)↩
- In telegram 8865 from Rabat, September 4, Nassif commented: “The King’s reaction to President Reagan’s letter was cool to lukewarm, possibly because he felt he had just delivered to the U.S. the one thing it wanted most from him and expected the level of exhilaration to match the previous level of pique.” Hassan, Nassif continued, “believes he had placed himself squarely in the U.S. camp with his denunciation of Qadhafi and his meeting with Peres. His economic and military needs are enormous and he is looking to the U.S. to give him substantial assistance.” (Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S Records, 1986 Nodis Telegrams: Lot 95D23, Rabat 1986 Nodis) For more on Hassan’s decision, see Document 73. For information concerning the Peres meeting, see Documents 247 and 259.↩