[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 25 (Monday, June 26, 2000)]
[Pages 1417-1418]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a State Dinner Honoring King Mohamed VI of Morocco

June 20, 2000

    Ladies and gentlemen, Your Majesty, members of the Moroccan 
delegation, welcome all of you to the White House this evening. No 
foreign guest is more deserving of a warm welcome here than King 
Mohamed.
    Your Majesty, as I said this morning, it is well known that when the 
13 separate States of America declared themselves the United States, 
your ancestor, Sultan Sidi Mohamed, was the very first sovereign to 
recognize our new Nation.
    The greatest heroes of our early history were the strongest 
proponents of friendship with Morocco. The treaty of friendship between 
our Nations was urged on Congress by Benjamin Franklin, drafted by 
Thomas Jefferson, signed by John Adams, and affirmed by George 
Washington in a letter to the Sultan. Our treaty of friendship is the 
oldest American treaty of its kind still enforced today.

[[Page 1418]]

    In the two centuries since it was first signed, we have seen much to 
admire and be grateful for in our friendship. As the Arab nation which 
lies closest to the West, you have been a bridge across cultures. You 
have a proud tradition of independence, known the world over for your 
generosity and hospitality. The oldest property owned by America on 
foreign soil is one of the most beautiful buildings in Tangier, a gift 
to our country from yours.
    Your Majesty, Hillary and Chelsea have visited your country three 
times now. They have been charmed again and again by the special 
character of Morocco, the warmth and hospitality of your people, the 
beauty of the mountains and the Madinahs, and especially, your 
generosity of spirit.
    For centuries, your land has been a model of religious tolerance. 
When she was there, Hillary asked people throughout your country, 
``Where did you learn this tolerance?'' And over and over again they 
said, ``We learned it from our parents.'' In Morocco, Your Majesty, that 
appears to be especially true of kings.
    During World War II, your wise and courageous grandfather blocked 
efforts of the Vichy government to identify and label Moroccan Jews. 
Decades later, your father bravely opened a dialog with Israel, paved 
the way for the Camp David accords, and proved it is possible to be 
commander of the faithful and a bridge between faiths.
    I was honored and humbled to represent the United States in Rabat 
last year to show our respect and affection for your father. I will 
never forget setting forth on foot from the Royal Palace to the 
mausoleum and seeing hundreds of thousands, indeed, millions, of 
mourners on rooftops and treetops and along the side streets, surging 
toward the cortege, expressing their deep devotion to him.
    I am pleased to tell you tonight that we are establishing, in honor 
of your father, the King Hassan II Memorial Scholarship Program to 
enable students from Morocco to study here in America, and to study 
subjects close to the King's heart: international affairs and conflict 
resolution.
    The people of Morocco also have immense devotion to you, Your 
Majesty. You have emphasized the need to improve schools for children 
and create jobs for their parents. You have moved to heal old wounds, 
promote political freedoms, protect human rights, and reach out to your 
people.
    You have shown the courage and vision to elevate Morocco as a model 
of openness, prosperity, and inclusion. This is vital, not only for 
Morocco but also for people far beyond your borders. Friends of peace 
and tolerance are needed now, perhaps more than ever, as we approach the 
moment of truth in the Middle East peace process.
    Your Majesty, America is eager to continue and to deepen our two-
century-old friendship. We are eager to work with you toward a world of 
greater hope and understanding across cultures and continents. In that 
spirit, we welcome you again to the land shown such favor by your 
forefathers.
    Welcome to America. Thank you for your friendship, and may it last 
forever.

Note: The President spoke at 9:24 p.m. in a pavilion on the South Lawn 
at the White House. The transcript released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary also included the remarks of King Mohamed VI.