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Subject: Morocco - Official Channels Required
Released by the Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and International
Environmental and Scientific Affairs, November 2, 1979.
In the course of acquiring clearance for a U.S. research vessel recently, the Department was informed of a new requirement for submitting research clearance requests to Morocco. Future requests to Morocco must be officially submitted by the Embassy, the U.S. Government in general, or by any appropriate U.S. Government agency. Mr. Mohamed Aiouch, Chief of the Division of Consular Affairs stated that requests submitted in this manner would be routine and could be processed expeditiously. Also, the Government of Morocco does not grant clearances to individuals or private institutions as a matter of policy (this ensured that vessels wishing to do research had the backing of their government, and in effect guaranteed their "respectability").
The Embassy explained that the U.S. Government would be prepared to request clearances for private institutions, but the Government of Morocco should understand that neither the vessel nor the crew is official and that the U.S. Government is not responsible for any indiscretion that may occur. Our request would only represent our belief that the research was legitimate, worthwhile, and sufficiently of interest to the U.S. Government to warrant a request. In the event of an indiscretion, we would be interested to the extent that American nationals and/or property were involved.
The lead-time specified by Morocco for submission of requests was 30 days. To allow the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, Morocco sufficient time to process the clearance, it is recommended that you submit your request to the State Department at least 60 days in advance.
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