Art. 15[1]
Any subject of Morocco who has been naturalized in a foreign country, and who shall return to Morocco, shall after having remained for a length of time equal to that which shall have been regularly necessary for him to obtain such naturalization, choose between entire submission to the laws of the Empire and the obligation to quit Morocco, unless it shall be proved that his naturalization in a foreign country was obtained with the consent of the Government of Morocco.
Foreign naturalization heretofore acquired by subjects of Morocco according to the rules established by the laws of each country, shall be continued to them as regards all its effects, without any restriction.
Art. 16
No irregular or unofficial protection shall be granted in future. The authorities of Morocco will recognize no protection, of any kind whatever, save such as is expressly provided for in this convention.
Nevertheless, the exercise of the customary right of protection shall be reserved for those cases only in which it may be desired to reward signal services rendered by a native of Morocco to a foreign power, or for other altogether exceptional reasons.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs at Tangier shall be previously informed of the nature of the services, and notified of the intention to reward them, in order that he may, if need be, present his observations thereon; yet the final decision shall be reserved for the Government to which the service shall have been rendered.
The number of persons thus protected shall not exceed twelve for each power, and this number is fixed as the maximum unless the consent of the Sultan shall be obtained.
The status of persons who have obtained protection in virtue of the custom which is henceforth to be regulated by this stipulation shall be without limitation of the number of persons belonging to this class and now so protected, the same for themselves and their families as that which is established for other protected persons.
- ↑ A U.S. note of Mar. 17, 1959, addressed to the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referred to a note from the Ministry dated Oct. 8, 1958, in which the Embassy had been informed that the Moroccan Government had decided to strike all prescriptions relating to Moroccan nationality from the text of the Madrid convention. The U.S. note said, in part:
"The Government of the United States of America, having unilaterally relinquished certain rights in Morocco with the reemergence of Morocco into independence in 1956, considers that in line with historical developments Article XV of the Madrid Convention on Protection of 1880 has become obsolete and without effect.
"The Government of the United States takes due cognizance, therefore, of the action taken by the Moroccan Government as set forth in its above cited Note, which the United States Government understands to refer only to Article XV of the Madrid Convention on Protection of 1880."
