Fès, Treaty of 1912
Fès, Treaty of (1912)
an agreement establishing a French protectorate in Morocco. The treaty was signed in the city of Fès (Fez) on March 30 by the sultan of Morocco, Abd al-Hafidh, and the representative of the French government, Regnault. Although the sultan remained the nominal head of state, a French resident-general was appointed, who exercised supreme power. Morocco’s foreign policy was henceforth to be dictated by France. Under the treaty, France was obliged to enter into negotiations with Spain concerning Spain’s interests in Morocco. (On Nov. 27, 1912, a Franco-Spanish agreement was signed, under which a small part of Moroccan territory passed to Spain.) The treaty also provided for the preservation of a special administration for Tangier.
The national liberation struggle of the Moroccan people led to the signing, on Mar. 2, 1956, of a joint French and Moroccan declaration that proclaimed the independence of Morocco and abrogated the Treaty of Fès.