[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.