[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17968-17969]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 REMARKS OF WELCOME TO KING MOHAMMED VI OF MOROCCO TO THE UNITED STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 21, 2013

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I join with my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle in welcoming King Mohammed VI of 
Morocco to Washington. Support for good US relations with Morocco is a 
matter that has achieved longstanding, bipartisan support.
  On Friday, November 22, 2013, King Mohammed VI will meet with 
President Obama at the White House for discussions designed to deepen 
the two countries' long friendship and strategic partnership.
  The friendship between our two countries goes back to 1777 when 
Morocco's Sultan

[[Page 17969]]

Mohammed III, the current king's namesake, was the first head of state, 
and Morocco the first country, to recognize the new United States.
  Morocco was also the first country to sign a Treaty of Peace and 
Friendship with the United States. Negotiations for this treaty began 
in 1783 and the draft was signed in 1786. Future Presidents John Adams 
and Thomas Jefferson were the American signatories. The treaty was 
subsequently presented to the Senate, which ratified it on July 18, 
1787, making it the first treaty ever to receive U.S. Senate 
ratification.
  The treaty provided for the United States' diplomatic representation 
in Morocco and commerce at any Moroccan port on the basis of ``most 
favored nation status.'' It also established the principle of non-
hostility when either country was engaged in a war with any other 
nation.
  President George Washington wrote to Sultan Mohammed III on December 
1, 1789: ``It gives me great pleasure to have this opportunity of 
assuring your majesty that I shall not cease to promote every measure 
that may conduce to the friendship and harmony which so happily subsist 
between your empire and these United States.''
  U.S. relations with Morocco have strengthened in the years following 
this historic treaty. During World War I, Morocco was aligned with the 
Allied forces, and in 1917 and 1918 Moroccan soldiers fought valiantly 
alongside U.S. Marines at Chateau Thierry, Mont Blanc and Soissons.
  During World War II, Moroccan national defense forces aided American 
and British troops in the region. In January 1943, British Prime 
Minister Winston Churchill, President Franklin Roosevelt and Free 
French Commander Charles de Gaulle met for four days in the Anfa 
neighborhood of Casablanca to develop ongoing strategies against the 
Axis powers.
  In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower sent a letter to Moroccan King 
Mohammed V to the effect that ``my government renews its wishes for the 
peace and prosperity of Morocco.'' The King responded by assuring 
President Eisenhower that Morocco would be a staunch ally against the 
proliferation of Communism in the region.
  Morocco was one of the first nations to express its solidarity with 
the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The United 
States subsequently expressed its sympathies and support for Morocco 
when terrorists conducted major attacks in Morocco.
  The United States and Morocco have a Free Trade Agreement and in 
September 2012, the U.S. and Morocco launched a Strategic Dialogue--the 
first such U.S. dialogue with a Maghreb nation--to advance common 
interests on political, economic, security, and educational and 
cultural affairs.
  A bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate have signed 
letters in support of Morocco's desire to resolve the ongoing conflict 
in the Western Sahara through negotiations designed to ensure Moroccan 
sovereignty, while providing the inhabitants with autonomy. In 2009, 
244 Members of the House signed such a letter. The following year, 54 
Senators signed a letter expressing their support for such a negotiated 
process designed to end the conflict.
  This rich history of friendship and cooperation sets the stage for 
the visit to the White House by King Mohammed VI. The visit is a result 
of President Obama's personal invitation to the North African monarch, 
who will be meeting the President for the first time.
  In announcing the visit, the White House issued a statement 
declaring: ``This visit will highlight the long-standing friendship 
between the United States and Morocco and strengthen our strategic 
partnership. The President looks forward to discussing a range of 
issues of mutual interest with King Mohammed VI, including support for 
Morocco's democratic and economic reforms. This visit is also an 
opportunity to increase our cooperation on addressing regional 
challenges, including countering violent extremism, supporting 
democratic transitions, and promoting economic development in the 
Middle East and Africa.''
  I join with my colleagues in Congress in welcoming the King to 
Washington in the firm belief that this visit will reinforce the 
special relationship between our two nations.

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