A Single People

France's two other North African territories moved nearer independence--and farther from France. For two weeks Foreign Minister Christian Pineau's negotiators had been stubbornly insisting that France could never agree to recognize Morocco's independence until Sultan Ben Youssef had also accepted terms of "interdependence." Last week France gave in. It signed a declaration recognizing Morocco's sovereignty and granting Morocco the right to maintain an army and conduct its own diplomacy. The terms of interdependence are still to be written.

Tunisia's Premier Tahar ben Amar was also in Paris to negotiate fresh concessions from the French. The day the Moroccan declaration was signed, Premier ben Amar conferred earnestly with Ben Youssef. Between them, the Moroccans and Tunisians had set up a political whipsaw which had France dodging. Tunisia was the first to win local self-government, from then-Premier Mendes-France. Moroccans promptly demanded the same thing, and with the precedent of Tunisia, no succeeding government could deny them. Now the Tunisians were back to get whatever the Moroccans got. Said Ben Youssef to Premier ben Amar with satisfaction: "North Africa is a single people. What profits one of us, also profits the other."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.