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

457. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Whitehead to President Reagan¹

Washington, August 31, 1988

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

3. Western Sahara Mediation. The UN has announced that Morocco and the Polisario Front have agreed in principle to a UN plan to end their 13-year dispute over the Western Sahara.² The UN plans a ceasefire and demilitarization of the territory as a prelude to a referendum on the political future of the Saharan people. The UN will seek to move promptly, but contentious issues remain unresolved, including Moroccan military and civil presence in the Sahara, establishment of a voter list, and the Polisario’s demand for direct negotiations with Morocco. We have supported the UN’s efforts over the past year to find a peaceful resolution to this dispute.

1. Source: Reagan Library, George Shultz Papers, President’s Evening Reading July–September 1988. Secret.
2. In telegram 9578 from Geneva, August 29, the Mission reported the details of the UN plan. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D880762–0037)