akrouh
05/12/2006, 04h41
azul
si mohand azerkan's letter/response to a spanish ultimatum just after the first attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution,between spain and the confederate Rif republic,during the summer of 1923,ended in an a clear impasse.
the azerkan'S letter clearly spels out the political orientation of the rifian state, its secular nature,the embracing of the universal humanist values, the modern ideas of the time......we all should know that mohand abdelkrim was a strong supporter of the kemalist revolution in turkey, even today turkey is the only muslim secular state in the world,while the turks succeded, the rifians were defeated at the end, but the lessons from that era should not be lost on us.....
the last two decades there have been several amateurish attempts being made by islamists to hyjack the very experience that we the rifians cherish most,they will never succeed ,this document should put an end to the false interpretation to our history,the islamic republic of the rif exist only in the imaginations of the new talibans.
you can not find in azerkan's letter words such as : islam, oumma, jihad,religion, sultan,morocco.......
the author of the document was WALTER B.HARRIS
the book is rare and out of print:FRANCE,SPAIN AND THE RIF
1927
other books of the author are :TAFILALT ,also rare
MOROCCO THAT WAS , still available.
IN SEARCH OF PEACE.
early in july, 1923, when the summer campaign had already began, delegates of the spanish goverment and abdelkrim's representatives met on board a steamer off the rif coast to discuss terms of peace, no solution however was reached, but it is evident that both parties desired an entente, for on his return on july the 12 th to melilla the secretary-general of the spanish protectorate, senor diego saavedra , wrote to abdelkrim's chief delegate, si mohammed azerkan, stating that in reply to a letter he had found awaiting him, the spanish goverment was prepared to reopen negotiations, the secretary-general's letter took to some extent the form of an ultimatum and was recognized as such by abdelkrim.
this correspondence, of which abdelkrim forwarded me what purported to be arabic copies, clearly demonstrate the impasse which had been reached.
(translation)
15 july,1923.
praise be to god.
from the secretary general don diego saavedra to sid mohammed ben mohammed azerkan.
* * * * *
it is necessary to establish the points on which we shall negotiate, it must be as follows : there will be no negotiation or discussion that takes into consideration the independence of the rifian state or any mention of the treaty of 1912, it is possible to grant a kind of independence , economical and administrative, to the rifian tribes, and also to confirm the position and rank which si mohammed ben abdel krim el-khatabi (abdelkrim) enjoys at present, also that of governors of the tribes who rule under the supervision of the maghzen (sultan's goverment) and under the protection of the spanish goverment.
the negotiation shall be confined specially to the means of developing commerce, industry, and agriculture amongst the rifian tribes and to the granting to them of material and moral assistance by the maghzen and the protecting power.
if you agree to these conditions I beg you to send me a document signed by your chief (abdelkrim) and the final negotiations will take place.
finally, I beg you to consider me as being very desirous of bringing about a lasting peace and of removing all your doubts that we are trying to deceive you, we desire to act with you in good faith and to prevent bloodshed, it is our hope and wish that the Rif should progress in wealth and enlightenment , not in the interests of spain alone but also in those of the rifians themselves.
above all, I must inform you, by orders of the spanish goverment, that your reply to our terms must be in our hands WITHIN FORTY-EIGHT HOURS from the time that you receive this letter, I shall regret if you turn a deaf ear to propositions that are all to your benefit and if you refuse what is to your advantage, taking instead a road which will bring calamity upon you, if you continue in error, spain will adopt every means to put down this rebellion in a way that is less her choice than her duty to the civilized powers that entrusted her with this mission , if you are sincere in your expressed desire for peace, choose without hesitation the road that leads to rectitude and progress.
when you had duly considered these words, and when all suspicion is removed from your minds, send your reply, and may peace be upon all.
DIEGO SAAVEDRA
to this letter the 'foreign minister of the rifian government' replied on july the 24th as follows:
(TRANSLATION)
AJDIR (RIF),24 july, 1923
praise be to god.
from sid mohammed ben mohammed azerkan to senor diego saavedra,salutations and regards.
* * * * *
your letter resembles a final ultimatum, and as such its contents caused us much surprise.
being as I am the minister of foreign affairs to the rifian government I feel bound to inform you that our terms are as follows:
that the rifian government established upon modern ideas and on the principles of civilization, consider itself independent politically and economically - privileged to enjoy our freedom as we have enjoyed it for centuries and to live as other people live, we consider that we have the right to enjoy the possession of our territory in preference to any other nation, and we consider that the spanish colonial party have transgressed and violated our rights, and they have no justification for their pretence for a claim to make a protectorate of our rifian state, we have never recognized this protectorate, and we never shall recognize it, we refuse it once and for all, we desire to be our own rulers and to maintain and preserve our legal and undisputable rights.
we shall defend our independence by every means in our power, and we protest to the spanish nation and its intelligent people, who, we believe, do not dis**** the legality of our demands.
we state - before the spanish colonial party sheds the blood of more of the children of spain in order to promote their private ambitions and their imaginary pretentions-that if only they will take count with their consciences they will realize they are greatly at fault , and that they have caused their country great losses through their colonial ambitions, (a policy) that is contrary to the spanish interests, let them remedy their error before it becomes still more entangled, we protest against the wicked actions of the colonial party, we protest to the civilized world and to humanity, we are in no way responsible for the blood that has been shed nor for the money that has been wasted.
we are surprised that you ignore the interests of spain herself in not making peace with the Rif by recognizing its independence, and thus keeping up neighbourly relations and stregthening the bonds of union with our rifian people, instead of infringing our rights, of humiliating our people, and ignoring all the humane and legal doctrines of universal law such as are contained in the treaty of versailles, which was drawn up after the great war.
this war taught mankind the penalty of ill-doing, of violation and of pride, and by it the world has learned also that no man is to be despised , and that it is a natural duty to leave every people to manage its own affairs, power and force fail before right, the treaty (of versailles) was drawn up by the chief men of great nations who had taken part in the war and and experieced its terrible consequences, in the end they could not fail to recognize the truth, and they gave to all nations, even the smallest, the rights of self-government, yet politicians have said that treaties are only ink upon paper and that power rests with the sword, but truth is truth, otherwise the world will remain always in trouble and in perplexity, peace will not come till every nation is at liberty to defend its rights, it would be no disgrace to spain if she were to live in peace with the rifians after recognizing our government and its independence, and thus increasing the common interests of the two countries, on the contrary, it would be a noble action and an honour to her, it would form a magnificent record in her history, and we rifian people are prepared to welcome a change (of policy) in the spanish colonial party, for their present attitude is unjust, we sincerely hope that the misunderstanding will be removed, the cause of it is due to the wrong methods that they adopt, to their violence and to their failure to look ahead or to appreciate the consequences that must ensue.
the rifian government will be truly sorry if the colonial party persist in its transgression and its tiranny. imagine yourselves to be the party that is being invaded, your homes in the hands of foreigners intent upon the possession of your property, would you submit to the invaders because they merely claimed certain rights and asserted their pretentions ? I think that you , and even your womenkind , would defend yourselves and refuse to accept the humiliation of submission,your history in this respect testifies for you that this is so, know that the rif and all its people are ready to die and, believe me, they will die in the cause of truth, they will defend their honour to the last, and nothing will shake their determination unless the spanish colonial party will abandon its wicked motives - otherwise the rifians will die to a man.
I must declare once and for all that the rif will not change its attitude, nor give up the principles upon which we act - that is to say, we will not reopen negotiations for peace exept upon the condition of the recognition by spain of the INDEPENDENCE OF THE RIF.
mohammed ben mohammed azerkan .
france, spain and the rif by walter b. harris 1927
.................................................. .................................................. .............
si mohand azerkan's letter/response to a spanish ultimatum just after the first attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution,between spain and the confederate Rif republic,during the summer of 1923,ended in an a clear impasse.
the azerkan'S letter clearly spels out the political orientation of the rifian state, its secular nature,the embracing of the universal humanist values, the modern ideas of the time......we all should know that mohand abdelkrim was a strong supporter of the kemalist revolution in turkey, even today turkey is the only muslim secular state in the world,while the turks succeded, the rifians were defeated at the end, but the lessons from that era should not be lost on us.....
the last two decades there have been several amateurish attempts being made by islamists to hyjack the very experience that we the rifians cherish most,they will never succeed ,this document should put an end to the false interpretation to our history,the islamic republic of the rif exist only in the imaginations of the new talibans.
you can not find in azerkan's letter words such as : islam, oumma, jihad,religion, sultan,morocco.......
the author of the document was WALTER B.HARRIS
the book is rare and out of print:FRANCE,SPAIN AND THE RIF
1927
other books of the author are :TAFILALT ,also rare
MOROCCO THAT WAS , still available.
IN SEARCH OF PEACE.
early in july, 1923, when the summer campaign had already began, delegates of the spanish goverment and abdelkrim's representatives met on board a steamer off the rif coast to discuss terms of peace, no solution however was reached, but it is evident that both parties desired an entente, for on his return on july the 12 th to melilla the secretary-general of the spanish protectorate, senor diego saavedra , wrote to abdelkrim's chief delegate, si mohammed azerkan, stating that in reply to a letter he had found awaiting him, the spanish goverment was prepared to reopen negotiations, the secretary-general's letter took to some extent the form of an ultimatum and was recognized as such by abdelkrim.
this correspondence, of which abdelkrim forwarded me what purported to be arabic copies, clearly demonstrate the impasse which had been reached.
(translation)
15 july,1923.
praise be to god.
from the secretary general don diego saavedra to sid mohammed ben mohammed azerkan.
* * * * *
it is necessary to establish the points on which we shall negotiate, it must be as follows : there will be no negotiation or discussion that takes into consideration the independence of the rifian state or any mention of the treaty of 1912, it is possible to grant a kind of independence , economical and administrative, to the rifian tribes, and also to confirm the position and rank which si mohammed ben abdel krim el-khatabi (abdelkrim) enjoys at present, also that of governors of the tribes who rule under the supervision of the maghzen (sultan's goverment) and under the protection of the spanish goverment.
the negotiation shall be confined specially to the means of developing commerce, industry, and agriculture amongst the rifian tribes and to the granting to them of material and moral assistance by the maghzen and the protecting power.
if you agree to these conditions I beg you to send me a document signed by your chief (abdelkrim) and the final negotiations will take place.
finally, I beg you to consider me as being very desirous of bringing about a lasting peace and of removing all your doubts that we are trying to deceive you, we desire to act with you in good faith and to prevent bloodshed, it is our hope and wish that the Rif should progress in wealth and enlightenment , not in the interests of spain alone but also in those of the rifians themselves.
above all, I must inform you, by orders of the spanish goverment, that your reply to our terms must be in our hands WITHIN FORTY-EIGHT HOURS from the time that you receive this letter, I shall regret if you turn a deaf ear to propositions that are all to your benefit and if you refuse what is to your advantage, taking instead a road which will bring calamity upon you, if you continue in error, spain will adopt every means to put down this rebellion in a way that is less her choice than her duty to the civilized powers that entrusted her with this mission , if you are sincere in your expressed desire for peace, choose without hesitation the road that leads to rectitude and progress.
when you had duly considered these words, and when all suspicion is removed from your minds, send your reply, and may peace be upon all.
DIEGO SAAVEDRA
to this letter the 'foreign minister of the rifian government' replied on july the 24th as follows:
(TRANSLATION)
AJDIR (RIF),24 july, 1923
praise be to god.
from sid mohammed ben mohammed azerkan to senor diego saavedra,salutations and regards.
* * * * *
your letter resembles a final ultimatum, and as such its contents caused us much surprise.
being as I am the minister of foreign affairs to the rifian government I feel bound to inform you that our terms are as follows:
that the rifian government established upon modern ideas and on the principles of civilization, consider itself independent politically and economically - privileged to enjoy our freedom as we have enjoyed it for centuries and to live as other people live, we consider that we have the right to enjoy the possession of our territory in preference to any other nation, and we consider that the spanish colonial party have transgressed and violated our rights, and they have no justification for their pretence for a claim to make a protectorate of our rifian state, we have never recognized this protectorate, and we never shall recognize it, we refuse it once and for all, we desire to be our own rulers and to maintain and preserve our legal and undisputable rights.
we shall defend our independence by every means in our power, and we protest to the spanish nation and its intelligent people, who, we believe, do not dis**** the legality of our demands.
we state - before the spanish colonial party sheds the blood of more of the children of spain in order to promote their private ambitions and their imaginary pretentions-that if only they will take count with their consciences they will realize they are greatly at fault , and that they have caused their country great losses through their colonial ambitions, (a policy) that is contrary to the spanish interests, let them remedy their error before it becomes still more entangled, we protest against the wicked actions of the colonial party, we protest to the civilized world and to humanity, we are in no way responsible for the blood that has been shed nor for the money that has been wasted.
we are surprised that you ignore the interests of spain herself in not making peace with the Rif by recognizing its independence, and thus keeping up neighbourly relations and stregthening the bonds of union with our rifian people, instead of infringing our rights, of humiliating our people, and ignoring all the humane and legal doctrines of universal law such as are contained in the treaty of versailles, which was drawn up after the great war.
this war taught mankind the penalty of ill-doing, of violation and of pride, and by it the world has learned also that no man is to be despised , and that it is a natural duty to leave every people to manage its own affairs, power and force fail before right, the treaty (of versailles) was drawn up by the chief men of great nations who had taken part in the war and and experieced its terrible consequences, in the end they could not fail to recognize the truth, and they gave to all nations, even the smallest, the rights of self-government, yet politicians have said that treaties are only ink upon paper and that power rests with the sword, but truth is truth, otherwise the world will remain always in trouble and in perplexity, peace will not come till every nation is at liberty to defend its rights, it would be no disgrace to spain if she were to live in peace with the rifians after recognizing our government and its independence, and thus increasing the common interests of the two countries, on the contrary, it would be a noble action and an honour to her, it would form a magnificent record in her history, and we rifian people are prepared to welcome a change (of policy) in the spanish colonial party, for their present attitude is unjust, we sincerely hope that the misunderstanding will be removed, the cause of it is due to the wrong methods that they adopt, to their violence and to their failure to look ahead or to appreciate the consequences that must ensue.
the rifian government will be truly sorry if the colonial party persist in its transgression and its tiranny. imagine yourselves to be the party that is being invaded, your homes in the hands of foreigners intent upon the possession of your property, would you submit to the invaders because they merely claimed certain rights and asserted their pretentions ? I think that you , and even your womenkind , would defend yourselves and refuse to accept the humiliation of submission,your history in this respect testifies for you that this is so, know that the rif and all its people are ready to die and, believe me, they will die in the cause of truth, they will defend their honour to the last, and nothing will shake their determination unless the spanish colonial party will abandon its wicked motives - otherwise the rifians will die to a man.
I must declare once and for all that the rif will not change its attitude, nor give up the principles upon which we act - that is to say, we will not reopen negotiations for peace exept upon the condition of the recognition by spain of the INDEPENDENCE OF THE RIF.
mohammed ben mohammed azerkan .
france, spain and the rif by walter b. harris 1927
.................................................. .................................................. .............