Declassified US Documents Reveal 1980s Diplomacy on Western Sahara

These archives, from the Reagan Library, the White House, the State Department and other federal agencies, provide new insight into the American position and diplomatic initiatives of the time.

A telegram from the US embassy in Yugoslavia, dated September 17, 1983, recounts a conversation between Mohamed Mzali, then Tunisian Prime Minister, and US Vice President George H.W. Bush. During this meeting, Mzali expressed his concerns about the impact of the conflict on the stability of the Maghreb, stating: "if the Sahara problem was not resolved, there would be neither peace, nor trust, nor cooperation in the Maghreb." He then called on the United States to use its influence to promote an "honorable settlement."

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Faced with this request, Bush reaffirmed the United States’ willingness to contribute to a resolution of the conflict, while emphasizing the limits of their influence on King Hassan II. "[The United States] could not put excessive pressure on King Hassan II to ask him to do something that would not be in his interest," he said.

When questioned about the nature of the settlement envisaged by Tunisia, Mzali revealed that he had discussed with Hassan II the possibility of a "kind of confederation" for the Sahara, inspired by the model of South Sudan. The Moroccan king, concerned to preserve the unity of his kingdom, would have expressed reservations about this option. "If I give up the Sahara, the people of the Rif, who were under Spanish domination, will demand the same thing. National unity will collapse," he would have confided to Mzali.

Despite these reservations, King Hassan II would not have completely ruled out the idea of a confederation, according to the Tunisian Prime Minister. "We will continue our efforts and hope that a solution will mature, but we cannot take any initiative that could provoke the two countries," Mzali concluded.