Morocco Sets the Record Straight

This interesting letter to the editor from Aziz Mekouar, Morocco's Ambassador the the United States, was published in the New York Times as a response to their recent op-ed piece, Lessons from the Barbary Pirate Wars...

To the Editor:

“What Tho. Jefferson Knew About Pirates” (Week in Review, April 12) overlooks a historical link between Morocco and the United States by leaving a possible impression that Morocco supported the pirates.

In 1786, Morocco and the United States signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship — a joint commitment to combating acts of piracy targeting American ships sailing the Atlantic. It is the first such recorded treaty in United States history and is the longest unbroken American agreement with any nation.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently noted that cooperation with the United States’ oldest ally has been under way for generations. “We worked together to end piracy off of the coast of Morocco all those years ago,” Secretary Clinton said. “And we’re going to work together to end this kind of criminal activity anywhere on the high seas.” This relationship, borne from mutual respect, is as important today as ever before for Morocco and the United States.

Aziz Mekouar
Ambassador of Morocco
to the United States
Washington, April 13, 2009

This is certainly a fascinating hearkening back to the shared history between the US and Morocco with regards to fighting piracy; a history that I will be certain to explore further as I spend next year in Rabat!