Office of the Historian

395. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Stoessel to President Reagan1

Washington, February 10, 1982

[Omitted here is material unrelated to the Western Sahara.]

2. Western Sahara. The Organization of African Unity (OAU) concluded its summit meeting on the Western Sahara on February 9, adopting a draft proposal for a ceasefire and referendum.2 Neither the Polisario Front nor Morocco has accepted the proposals and the burden now falls on the OAU chairman to negotiate their agreement and set a date for a ceasefire. Secretary Haig will meet with Moroccan King Hassan tomorrow,3 and Assistant Secretary Veliotes will meet with the Algerians on Saturday.4 These talks will be important in our assessment of the situation.

  1. Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Agency File, Secretary Haig’s Evening Report (02/02/1982–02/27/1982). Secret; Sensitive. A stamped notation at the top of the memorandum indicates it was received in the White House Situation Room at 9:15 p.m. on February 10. Haig was in Madrid on February 10 to attend the CSCE follow-up meeting and later that day traveled to Lisbon to meet with Portuguese officials.↩
  2. The text of the proposal is in telegram 3283 from Nairobi, February 10. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D820074–0496)↩
  3. Haig was in Marrakesh February 11–12. See Document 199.↩
  4. February 13. For a report on Veliotes’s meeting, see Document 396.↩