    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 25 (Monday, June 26, 2000)]
    [Pages 1412-1413]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks at a Welcoming Ceremony for King Mohamed VI of Morocco

    June 20, 2000

        Your Majesty, members of the Moroccan delegation, ladies and
    gentlemen, on behalf of the United States, I am delighted to welcome the
    King of Morocco to America.
        Your Majesty, as we were just discussing, it was 22 years ago when
    the people of the United States first welcomed you to this House, when
    you came as Crown Prince with your father, His Majesty King Hassan II.
    Today we welcome you back in the same spirit of friendship that has
    joined our two nations since the beginning of the American republic.
        Your Majesty, America will never forget that in 1777, the first
    nation in the world to recognize the United States was the Kingdom of
    Morocco. Ten years later, our two countries approved a treaty of peace
    and friendship, which today remains the longest unbroken treaty of its
    kind in all history. In the days since, we have stood together to live
    up to that treaty's ideals and to secure its blessings for others.
        During the Second World War, more than 300,000 Moroccans fought
    alongside the Allies against Nazi tyranny. Today, Moroccan soldiers
    stand shoulder to shoulder with Americans as we keep the peace in both
    Bosnia and Kosovo. Morocco's location has made it a bridge between east
    and west. Morocco's leadership has made it a bridge between peoples.
        During the Second World War, King Mohamed V resisted efforts to
    target and capture Moroccan Jews. In our time, King Hassan worked hard
    to bring people together to secure a comprehensive peace for the people
    of the Middle East. He reminded us of the ancient wisdom of the Koran
    that if two groups of believers fight each other, we should endeavor to
    reconcile them. He helped bring us closer than we have ever been to a
    real and lasting peace.
        Your Majesty, I was proud to walk with the people of Morocco on that
    sad day last July, when we crossed the city of Rabat to lay your father
    to rest. Providence called upon you to be one of the voices of a new
    generation of Arab leaders, and you have responded with courage and
    conviction, healing old wounds, promoting democracy, lifting those left
    behind, touching the hearts of your people. Morocco is a sterling
    example of Islamic tolerance, a force for peace, rooted in the common
    values of humanity.
        In the 20th century, Morocco helped to make the world safe for
    democracy. In the 21st century, let us, together, make it also safe for
    diversity.
        On the day that he died, His Majesty King Hassan, had a letter
    sitting on his desk ready to be signed, a letter he had asked to be
    drafted, that reaffirmed what he called, ``our shared principles of
    freedom and solidarity, and our unshakable belief in the values of
    democracy, peace, prosperity, and progress.'' That letter was written on
    the very same kind of parchment as the letter passed between Sultan
    Mohammed III and President George Washington, more than two centuries
    ago. Your Majesty, in the days ahead, may we affirm that letter and our
    old, old friendship

    [[Page 1413]]

    with deeds, as well as words. May the partnership between our nations
    continue to show the way for the rest of the world.
        Your Majesty, we are honored that you are here. We are honored by
    the way you represent your nation and the potential we have to build on
    our rich, long partnership. Welcome to the White House. Welcome to
    America.

     Note:  The President spoke at 10:24 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House, where King Mohamed VI was accorded a formal welcome with full
    military honors. The transcript released by the Office of the Press
    Secretary also included the remarks of King Mohamed VI.