Qadhafi cables Morocco’s Hassan on Western Sahara dispute

Etiquettes : Sahara Occidental, Maroc, Libye, Kadhafi, Hassan II, Front Polisario,

Tripoli, 27 Ferbruary 1976.- Brother Colonel Muammar Al Qadhdhafi, Chairman of the Revolution Command Council, yesterday sent the following cable to the king of Morocco.

Brother King Hassan II (passage omitted quoting Koran verse)

From my believe in the Koran and Sunna, and from pan-arab motives, I permit myself to adress this cable to you at a time when I believe desrves it to be sent. For the sake of clarity, I will say at the outset that the subject of the cable is Western Sahara, which includes As-saqiyah Al Hamra, Rio de oro and the Al-khalidat Islands (as received).

Dear btoher the King,

On 11 june 1972 I said in a genral speech that the lar would shoulder its national responsibility and undertake a people’s war in Western Sahara inless Spain withdraw in Moroccan affairs. I did not said that I was interfering under spanish occupation to this day, because this does concern Moroccan national sovereignity.

At the start of 1973 the liberation war became a reality in Western Sahara, led by the national war became a reality in Western Sahara, led by the national Front fot the Liberation of As-Saqiyah Al-Hamra and Wadi Adh_dhahab. The Libyan Arab Republic carried out its national duty and supplied the Front with arms and opened an office for it in Tripoli. It is worth mentioning that countries involved today did not cooperate with the Front in any way. On the contrary, quantities of arms were confiscated by those countries while en route from the Libyan Arab Republic to the Front for the liberation of Assaqiyah al-Hamra and Wadi Addhahab.

Now to 1975, when you became a prominent party to the problem I confirmed to you through your envoys that the LAR’s military capabilities were at your disposal if you decided to liberate As-saqiyah Alhamra from colonialism. But what happened is that your forces took part in a transfer operation (sentence omitted quoting the Koran) I declare before history that I would not oppose Morocco if I believed that the Sahara people, led by the Popular Front, did not oppose joining Morocco, I would have thanked God for the ending of the LAR’s role, crowned by the departure of colonialism from an arab land.

God knows how much I tried to persuade the leadership of the Front to join you after independence, and you must remember the guarantees which I ensured, that your envoys and the Ambassador in Tripoli.

Dear brother the King,

What is happening today in Western Sahara is a very serious matter, irrespective of the pitfalls that led to this. The people of the Sahara led by the Front have told the world that they are not moroccans, algerians or mauritanians and that the true sons of the Sahara were those who took up arms and liberated their land. Thus the annexation, here I am speaking from facts and results and not reasons and excuses I am still not opposed to the Sahara joining Morocco or Mauritania, and I cannot be against the fraternal moroccan people or the moroccan army, whose sons blood still runs on the Golan, but I am a believer in Arab unity fron the Ocean to the Gulf, and in the Forefront of those who work for it and herald its inevitability. It is unreasonable that I should ignore to the extent of massing along the Algerian borders. The tents of those who fled from the annexation are crowding Tindouf resembling Arafat. In the pilgramage season, who denies this tragedy, who denies the will of the people of the Sahara and who denies the right of those who took up arms to liberate their country by themselves?

I am only mentioning facts. I am not a party to a territorial issue and I am not talking about annexation or the lack of it, since annexation has been imposed by force and its sucess or failure depends on the annihilation of the Saharan people or the Moroccan army, and either would be a tragedy — « one is my father when I need him, the other my uncle ».

If we follow the method of imposing unity on people by force, the map of the Arab World would change, including your country and mine.

Had you been fighting separatists inside your kingdom we should have fought with you. Had you been fighting the colonialists inside the Sahara we would have fought with you. But to fight a people who say no, we will not be with you.

The voice to which the world should listen is that of the Saharan people, whether it be for unity with you or independence next door to you.

Source : CIA documents

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