The Algeciras conference was an international conference of European states and the US. It was held at Algeciras in Spain between 16 January and 7 April 1906. The conference discussed the relationship that France had with the government of Morocco. The conference arose out of the Entente Cordiale (8 April 1904) signed between Britain and France, and in particular was triggered by the First Moroccan Crisis of March 1905 -- at which Germany challenged France's intentions for Morocco and demanded that the Moroccan Sultan retain his sovereignty and that all European countries should have access to the country.
US President Theodore Roosevelt convinced the German Emperor William II to attend the 1906 conference in Algeciras. Germany had expected to receive support for its claims against France, but in the end only Austria-Hungary did so. Britain, France, Italy, Russia and the US supported France's policy in the territory. However, the conference did acknowledge the Sultan's sovereignty in Morocco, allow for international economic assess, and provide for the joint French-Spanish policing of Morocco (under the overall command of a Swiss inspector-general). The conference also acknowledged Italy's policy in Libya.
The Algeciras Conference was a significant factor in the roles played by the US and European states during World War I (for which the Moroccan Crisis was a preamble).
