Agreement of Friendship and Cooperation between the United States of America and Spain
SUMMARY
Soon after Morocco received its independence in 1956, Moroccan del-
egates staked claim to Mauritania and parts of Western Sahara.
Though its pretenses regarding Senegal and western Africa were never
pressed, Morocco continued to lay claim to Mauritania throughout
the 1960s.
After engaging in a short war with Algeria over their common borders,
Morocco officially dropped its claim to Mauritania. On June 8, 1970,
the Mauritanian president, Ould Daddah, and the Moroccan king,
Hassan II, signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation in which
Morocco officially granted formal diplomatic recognition to the coun-
try of Mauritania. Following the non-aggression agreement, Morocco
began to push for self-determination in Western Sahara; the belief was
that self-determination would eventually cause Mauritania to return
to Moroccan governance.
In the late 1970s, Prime Minister Haidalla of Mauritania was facing
opposition in the government. After a series of governmental changes,
he began experiencing increased opposition from the Alliance for a
Democratic Mauritania (AMD), and on March 18, 1981, Haidalla sur-
vived a coup d’état led by pro-Moroccan members of the AMD. The
coup attempt led Mauritania to break diplomatic relations with
Morocco. A few months later, in June, King Hassan II agreed to restore
diplomatic relations and cut off the movement of the hostile forces
through Morocco. That agreement was never enforced, and Morocco
refused to deport any AMD members.
Description of Terms
The terms of this treaty were very similar to Morocco’s agree-
ment with Algeria (see Alliance no. 4.1388), signed on January
15, 1969. The two countries pledged to prohibit the use of force
to settle disputes between them and would not engage in
alliances or other actions targeting their allied state.
4.1391 Agreement of Friendship and Coopera-
tion between the United States of America and
Spain
Alliance Members:United States and Spain
Signed On:August 6, 1970, in the city of Washington, D.C. In force
until December 10, 1981.
Alliance Type:Entente (Type III)
Source:United Nations Treaty,no. 10852.
SUMMARY
In the early 1950s the United States began signing agreements with
Spain that exchanged economic aid from the United States for leasing
rights to U.S. naval and air bases in Spain. This agreement of friend-
ship and cooperation was largely a continuation of earlier agreements
with the added stipulation of consultation in case of crisis. The treaty
also provided $120 million in Export-Import Bank credits to Spain to
be used for the purchase of military aircraft from the United States.
The treaty was originally intended to last for five years but was
extended. Spain became an official member of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization in May 1982.
Alliance Text
The Governments of the United States of America and Spain,
Conscious of the desires of their respective peoples for peace,
security and the maintenance of their independence, and
Recognizing that the security and integrity of each of the two
countries continues to be a matter of concern to the other, and
Inspired by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the
United Nations, and
Desiring to reaffirm and to further the friendship between
their peoples, in the spirit of the Treaty of Friendship and Gen-
eral Relations signed at Madrid July 3, 1902, and
Desiring to establish on a more comprehensive basis the
cooperation between the two Governments, which has been
fostered by such friendship, so that both Governments, through
mutual exchanges and support, may promote the well-being
and progress of their peoples, enabling them to meet effectively
the challenges of the modern world,
Have agreed as follows:Chapter I General Cooperation
Article 1. The Governments of the United States and Spain
will continue their close cooperation and intimate working
relationship, including regular mutual consultation by their
Foreign Ministers, other members of the Governments, or their
representatives, on all matters of common concern or interest,
as deemed desirable by the two Governments.
Article 2. Such cooperation and relationship will be devel-
oped in those areas in which they have heretofore existed; in
new areas deemed by the two Governments to require their
urgent mutual attention, as specifically provided hereinafter;
and in those other areas which the two Governments may con-
sider appropriate in the future.Chapter II Educational and Cultural Cooperation
Article 3. In recognition of the importance of the cultural
achievements of both countries, and in order to strengthen even
more the friendship and understanding that traditionally have
existed between their peoples, the Governments of the United
States and Spain agree to expand their present exchanges in the
educational and cultural fields, in number as well as in scope,
subject to the constitutional processes and legislative require-
ments of the two countries.
Article 4. The expansion of these exchanges will involve
teachers, research experts, scientists, scholars and students, and
will extend into all branches of learning, especially natural and
applied sciences, economics, and the language and culture of
the two countries. In the field of arts and letters both Govern-
ments will sponsor visits of authors and artists and the recipro-
cal dissemination of their works.
Article 5. Both Governments recognize the importance of
the Fulbright-Hays program to promote educational and cul-
tural exchanges between the two countries, and therefore they
consider it desirable to expand the responsibilities of the