Remarks by the Chargé d'Affaires a.i, Robert P. Jackson
                 At the Independence Day Celebration
                           At the U.S. Embassy Rabat
                            June 28, 2009  - 7:00 P.M.

 

Your Excellencies, Mr. Minister of State, Ministers, Ambassadors, Charges, Members of Parliament, Mayors, Honored Guests, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Asalaam Alaykum, Bonsoir, Good Evening,

Babs and I want to welcome you to this very special evening.

I want to begin by thanking our sponsors:  Coca Cola, Whirlpool, McDonalds, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, le Groupe des Brasseries du Maroc, Village Farms, Jacob Delafon, Blue Star, Hertz, Altertech, Sunlight Power Maroc, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Fruit of the Loom, who made this event possible.

233 years ago this week, on July 4, 1776, our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.  With this act of enormous symbolism, the United States of America became a free and independent nation.

The Declaration of Independence gave birth to a new country, but also – perhaps even more importantly – to a new, unique idea: a nation of people bound not by a common ethnicity, language or religion, but by a joint commitment to a common set of principles.

These basic founding principles, which continue to guide us to this day, are enshrined in the famous preamble of the Declaration of Independence, which says:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Think for a moment about how simple, yet how fundamentally revolutionary, that sentence is: all people – wherever they are, whoever they are, whatever their religion, their race, their language – all people are equal, and as such, they have an absolute right to freedom.  This basic principle became the rallying cry for many future revolutionaries in countries throughout the world – note the French revolutionary motto "liberté, egalité, fraternité" – and continues to inspire peoples worldwide who "yearn to breathe free."

You may find it interesting to learn that the word "democracy" appears nowhere in the Declaration of Independence.  The United States of America did eventually adopt a democratic system, of course, but the drafters of the Declaration of Independence were focused not on which specific system of government to adopt, but on the set of principles that would lead to the creation of a government "of the people, by the people, for the people," as President Lincoln famously said nearly a century later during the Gettysburg Address.

President Obama addressed this point during his June 4th speech in Cairo.  He stated that "No system of government can or should be imposed on one nation by any other.  That does not lessen my commitment…to governments that reflect the will of the people.  Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people.  America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election.  But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things:  the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose.  These are not just American ideas; they are human rights."

These human rights, which President Obama underscored in his speech, represent the core of what we are celebrating this week.

For Americans such as myself who have the privilege to live and work in Morocco, marking Independence Day with our Moroccan friends and colleagues is a particular honor, given the unique role Morocco played in the birth of our nation.  Indeed, any celebration of American Independence Day is inextricably tied to the Moroccan-American bilateral relationship, and it is thus appropriate we that commemorate both at the same time.

Most of you probably know, as President Obama mentioned during his Cairo speech, that Morocco was the first country to recognize the independence of our nascent country.  But how many of you know the historical reasons for this early friendship?

When Sultan Sidi Muhammad Ben Abdullah announced in 1777 his desire for a friendship treaty with the U.S., he was motivated chiefly by a desire to promote global trade, in part by providing American Merchant Marine ships with protection from pirates operating around Morocco's territorial waters.

Over 200 years later, these common concerns – a dedication to promoting trade, and a commitment to regional security – remain two key pillars of our bilateral relationship.  On the trade, investment and development side, we have witnessed in recent years the signing of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the USAID partnership with Morocco, and the signing of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact.  On the security side, we designated Morocco a major non-NATO ally, and have seen our annual joint military exercises, known as African Lion, grow in size and sophistication every year.

Indeed our partnership as a whole is expanding and maturing every year.  It includes: dozens of exchange programs that bring Americans to Morocco and send Moroccans to the U.S. every year; outreach programs designed to help give Moroccan youth a stake in their communities and society; one of the largest Peace Corps programs in the world; increasing law enforcement cooperation; and broad and sustained U.S. Government support for Morocco's impressive political and economic reform efforts, including the National Initiative on Human Development (INDH).

I am proud of the role my team and I have played in fostering this partnership, and look forward to our continued efforts to expand and deepen our friendship even further in the coming years.

Now, I request that Ambassador Bellouki, the Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Mrs. El Azmani, Nina Chkirdi and Ayoub Chirdi join us on the stage.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have invited these folks to join me because I would like to conclude by continuing a long tradition of honoring those who have endeavored to reinforce the strong ties that bind our two countries by recognizing two Moroccan diplomats who are deeply dedicated to, indeed who embody, this Moroccan-American partnership.  This year the U.S.-Morocco Friendship Award is given to H.E. Ambassador Youssef Amrani, the Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Mrs. Wassane Zailachi, former Director of the North American Division and current Minister-Counselor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Washington.  Neither could be with us this evening; so their representatives and families are accepting their certificates.

First, I will read the citation for Ambassador Amrani:  For lasting efforts to promote civil society and democracy through support and sponsorship of the Forum for the Future, for your consistent nurturing of U.S.-Moroccan relations, and for your many productive meetings with visiting Americans.

Ambassador Bellouki, would you like to say anything?

And now, the citation for Mrs. Zailachi:  “For your tireless efforts to strengthen the relations between Morocco and the United States.”

Nina, would you like to say anything?

Thank you all for your friendship.  Chokrane.  Merci pour votre amitié.

Please enjoy the rest of the evening, especially the fireworks which will begin about 9:20.