MOROCCAN CAMPAIGN TO REGAIN SPANISH SAHARA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78S01932A000100140066-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 18, 2005
• Sequence Number: 66
• Publication Date: July 25, 1974
• Content Type: CABLE

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THE US EMBASSY IN RABAT BELIEVES KING HASSAN'S CURRENT
INTENSE CAMPAIGN TO "RECOVER" SPANISH SAHARA IS THE FIRST PHASE
OF A LONG-RANGE STRATEGY DESIGNED TO UTILIZE MOROCCAN NATIONALIST
AND IRREDENTIST ASPIRATIONS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE INTERNAL UNITY.
WHILE HE CONSIDERS SPAIN AS THE ADVERSARY DURING THE FIRST
PHASE OF ENDING COLONIAL RULE OF SPANISH SAHARA, THE EMBASSY
PREDICTS KING HASSAN WOULD, IF AND WHEN MADRID DECIDES TO
WITHDRAW, MAKE GENEROUS CONCESSIONS TO ACHIEVE SPANISH COOPERA-
TION IN CONFRONTING RIVAL TERRITORIAL CLAIMS OF MAURITANIA,
WHICH IS BACKED BY ALGERIA.
KING HASSAN IS CONVINCED THAT PORTUGAL WILL SOON RETIRE FROM
AFRICA AND THAT SPAIN WILL NOT WISH TO REMAIN THERE AS THE ONLY
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SIGNIFICANT COLONIAL POWER. HIS OBJECTIVES ARE:
--TO REGAIN AN AREA THAT MOROCCO HAS HISTORICALLY CLAIMED,
THEREBY STRENGTHENING HIS COUNTRY'S INTERNATIONAL AND INTER-ARAB
PRESTIGE AND ACQUIRING ECONOI1IC BENEFITS FROM THE SAHARA'S
t1I INERAL RESOURCES;
--TO STRENGTHEN HIS DOMESTIC POSITION BY RALLYING POLITICAL
INTEREST GROUPS INTO A GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY UNDER HIS
CONTROL;
--TO KEEP HIS MILITARY, WHOSE LOYALTY IS SUSPECT, OCCUPIED
NOW THAT THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCES THAT SERVED IN EGYPT AND SYRIA
HAVE RETURNED HOME.
WHILE KING HASSAN CORRECTLY ESTIMATES THAT ALL ARAD STATES
WILL SUPPORT MOROCCO'S DEMAND THAT SPAIN VACATE THE.SPANISH
SAHARA, SUPPORT FROM OTHER ARAB STATES FOR MOROCCO'S CLAIMS TO
THE AREA ARE MUCH WEAKER. MOST ARAB STATES ARE RELUCTANT TO
TAKE SIDES IN ANY INTER-ARAB QUARREL, ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME
U,HEN A QUARREL COULC4WEAKEN ARAB UNITY REARDING THE FAR MORE
INPORTANOT ISSUE OF A MIDDLE EAST PEACE SETT.ELEMENT.
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NEVERTHELESS, THE KING IS WILLING TO PURSUE A HIGH-RISK POLICY
THAT COULD LEAD TO HIS USING LIMITED MILITARY OR PARAMILITARY
ACTION AGAINST SPANISH FORCES IN THE SAHARA. HE WILL BE UNWILLING
TO BACK DOWN UNLESS SPAIN PULLS BACK FROM ITS PLANS TO GRANT
GREATER AUTONOMY TO ITS SAHARAN PROVINCE. AMBASSADOR NEUMANN
BELIEVES SOME ACTION BY SPAIN TO DEFUSE THE SITUATION IS DESIRABLE,
BUT HE NOTES THAT OTHER ARAB STATES ARE IN A BETTER POSITION TO
PERSUADE MADRID THAN WASHINGTON.
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