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

420. White House Situation Room Note¹

Washington, May 21, 1984

SITUATION ROOM CHECKLIST

Algeria Perceives Change in U.S. Western Sahara Policy

In discussions yesterday with Deputy Assistant Secretary Nassif,² Algerian Foreign Ministry Secretary General Kerroum characterized Secretary Weinberger’s May 18 remarks in Rabat³ as a change in U.S. policy on the Western Sahara, “embracing the most extreme Moroccan theses.”⁴

• The government of Algeria had expected a more neutral U.S. position—rather than exclusive references to the OAU’s Nairobi resolution as if the 19th OAU summit had never occurred, the U.S. should have stuck to previous formulations of general support for OAU efforts.

• This new U.S. policy will reinforce Moroccan illusions that the war can be won militarily and prolong the conflict.

• Algeria fears that Rabat’s berm expansion program may lead to Moroccan attacks on Mauritania, in which case the Algerians could not fail to react.⁵

Our embassy comments that Kerroum’s remarks were delivered without rancor and with his usual wit, but with the clear conviction that the U.S. has indeed altered its Western Sahara policy.⁶ Following on previous demarches encouraging Algeria and Morocco to place less emphasis on form and more on substance in trying to resolve the problem, Secretary Weinberger’s remarks are viewed in Algiers as the logical progression in what appears to be a growing U.S. public embrace of traditional Moroccan theses.

• In the Algerian analyses, such a change could only reinforce Moroccan perceptions that the war can be won militarily, thus prolonging the stalemate even further. (S)

Algiers 2421, PSN 55456⁷

1. Source: George H.W. Bush Library, Vice Presidential Records, Office of National Security Affairs, Donald P. Gregg Files, Country Files, OA/ID 19778, Folder 19778–003, Algeria—1984. Secret.
2. Telegram 2421 from Algiers, May 21, contains a record of the Nassif-Kerroum conversation. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D840329–0640)
3. An unknown hand underlined “Secretary Weinberger’s May 18 remarks in Rabat.” See footnote 4 below.
4. In a May 22 memorandum to Gregg, Eckert reported on Weinberger’s Rabat speech, noting that Weinberger had said in part: “We offer our continued support for a peaceful settlement of the problems in the Western Sahara, a settlement based on the Nairobi resolutions of the OAU.” Eckert continued: “What Secretary Weinberger did here was refer to the Nairobi OAU resolutions (which called for a cease-fire and referendum, as proposed by King Hassan) without reference to the later Addis OAU resolutions that identified the parties to the dispute as Morocco and the Polisario (not Algeria) and ‘urged’ those parties to enter direct negotiations (Hassan will not publicly acknowledge talking to a ‘band of rebels created by Algeria’). What Weinberger should have said is our standard line that ‘we support OAU efforts.’” (George H.W. Bush Library, Vice Presidential Records, Office of National Security Affairs, Donald P. Gregg Files, Country Files, OA/ID 19778, Folder 19778–003, Algeria—1984)
5. In telegram 3932 from Rabat, April 27, the Embassy reported: “Moroccan forces continue to expand the berm as Polisario shelling of Moroccan positions fails to slow the pace of construction. As berm construction turns westward toward Smara, the likelihood of direct Moroccan-Algerian confrontation diminishes. Algerian and Moroccan forces remain, however, in close proximity in the southern part of the common border.” (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D840276–0130)
6. An unknown hand placed a vertical line in the left-hand margin next to this sentence and underlined “with the clear conviction that the U.S. has indeed altered its Western Sahara policy.”
7. For telegram 2421, from Algiers, see footnote 2. PSN55456 was not found.