British Reporter “Invades” Spanish Island in Response to Spanish Hypocrisy
LONDON, July 23 - British journalist Stephen Moss recounts in a story titled “the taking of Stilton Island” how he has tried to conquer a Spanish islet of “La Ratas” in response to “Spanish hypocrisy: how can it go on harassing Gibraltar when it refuses even to discuss the status of Ceuta and Melilla, its enclaves in Morocco.”

The Guardian fashion editor who traveled with a photographer carried a Walter Raleigh outfit, a large union flag, a stout pair of boots, a tin of biscuits, a stilton cheese, a die cast model of a Grenadier guard and a pot of thick-cut marmalade.

He explains that “Spain’s storming of Parsley Island (a Moroccan Mediterranean islet invaded and then evacuated by Spain’s troops), a few hundred meters off the Moroccan coast, was the last straw.”

“It was time to give the Spanish a taste of their own medicine”, he writes.

The target was “an uninhabited island about 400m off Playa d'en Bossa, a beach on the eastern coast of Ibiza”.
The story further tells how the team hired a pedalo to conduct the expedition to the coveted island, two men, two boules, a camera bag, a hold-all, a shoulder bag, a megaphone, a case of beer, a stilton cheese, a bottle of water, several pounds of tomatoes, a large packet of salami, a tin of treacle biscuits, a union flag (with flagpole) and a die cast model of a Grenadier guard.

“This may be the first ever invasion undertaken by pedalo, though there is evidence that the Romans used a primitive version against Carthage in the second Punic war”, he says.

“There is no one about, not even a mouse, and we hoist the flag and celebrate … The United Kingdom has a new chunk of territory; Spain has a bloody nose”, he further recounts.

“It is a clear night, though colder than we expected.” “This is no mere crag in the sea, but a strategically significant land mass. There is some scrubby gorse and a few wild flowers. We had been wondering what to call the newly annexed island”, finally they opted for Stilton - the mice would be replaced by a quintessential British cheese.

The reporter-conqueror then calls the Foreign Office in London to tell them the joyous news - that Britain has a new dependency, only to find a sleepy duty officer rather bemused.

A foreign office spokeswoman tells him "We are more into sharing rocks these days than owning them. You're out of fashion". He then asks for assistance to defend the island, then calls Spanish official departments but finds no one speaking English “I can't even make it clear to them that Britain has established a strategically important base 400m off the coast of Ibiza, almost opposite the Cockney Rebel pub.”

Then, the expedition prepares to re-float the landing craft, “but not before we leave behind our secret weapon: Gordon the Grenadier” and besides it a note reading "Here stands Gordon the Grenadier, protecting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's sovereign territory of Stilton Island, taken from the Spanish by force of arms on July 20 2002. God bless Queen Elizabeth."

“We have a new territory in the Mediterranean, to set alongside Gib, and Spain has a new diplomatic headache”, he relates.

 

Algeria under Fire for Backing Spain in Islet Issue
LONDON, July 22- Algeria has been strongly criticized by international press for siding with Spain in its invasion of the Moroccan Mediterranean islet of Leila/Toura.

The Algerian government favored “exception” when it sided with Spain in its aggression against Morocco, the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi daily wrote, recalling that both Morocco and Algeria are members of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA).

Contrary to the overwhelming backing Morocco earned worldwide for its legitimate claims over the Islet, Algeria wrapped itself behind Spain alleging that it backs international legality.

The Algerian minister for Maghreban and African affairs had accused Morocco of violating Spain’s territorial integrity and that his country “decries any policy aimed at violating international legality.”

The Algerian official, the wide-circulation daily said, “needs to have his attention attracted to the fact that his government’s standpoint was a mistake and incompatible with reality and with the charter of the Organization of African Unity and of the African Unity that replaced it.”

The Algerian government “also committed a blatant mistake when it detached itself from the whole Arab, Islamic and African nations, when it backed Spain against a brotherly country, the daily said.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi wondered whether the Algerian standpoint was due to differences with Morocco or in exchange for Spanish rewards in the form of assistance and investments.

Tunisian Ashourouk daily attacked the Algerian press which swept behind the official standpoint of the Algiers regime.

The Algerian press “went beyond error to fell in sin” in its comments of the Spanish aggression against the Moroccan islet of Toura.

“This is not the way to build the Arab Maghreb Union,” wrote the independent daily, adding the Algerian press “erred when they doubted the Moroccan identity of the Islet, located at 150 meters of the Moroccan coasts.”

This press “sinned when it rejoiced at the anti-Moroccan developments,” the daily said, decrying such an attitude as a “morbid” one that “destroys and divide.” “Such mentality is against all Arab values and principles,” the Tunisian paper said, adding the invasion of the Moroccan islet “could have been used to heal wounds and cement ranks.”

“But what to do if some want to wreck the boat just to make their brother sink, although they are on the same boat and face the same faith,” the daily wondered.

 
 

Spanish Maps Show Islet as Moroccan Territory
MADRID, July 22-MADRID, July 22 - A Map by the geographic service of the Spanish army, edited in 1988 and re-edited in 1995, shows the Mediterranean islet of Toura as falling under Moroccan sovereignty.

A second map covering the Algesiras-Sebta area confirms that the Islet is Moroccan, as no borders appear around the small rocky island.

In the two maps, published by Spanish El Pais daily, the African zone left of Sebta, including the Island of Toura, appears under the letter I, corresponding to Morocco.

The Islet is identified in the two documents as Yezine Maadnous (Parsley Island) and Marsa Toura (Port Parsley), two indigenous names. Toura means parsley in the local Rif dialect.
 
 

British Press Underlines Spanish Embarrassment in Crisis with Morocco

LONDON, July 22- Continuing its comments on the dispute between Morocco and Spain over the Moroccan Mediterranean Toura/Leila islet, some British newspapers underlined the “embarrassment” felt by Madrid after Spain's retreat from the tiny island.

“Spain  retreats from Island after losing war of diplomacy”, writes "The Independent", saying that “Spain's embarrassing clash with Morocco over a tiny, barren island claimed by both nations has ended with the night-time withdrawal of Spanish troops under a deal brokered by the US.

The operation, which took just 90 minutes, seems to have averted a more serious clash between the two sides, which are at loggerheads over a series of issues, and a public row among EU allies, says the paper. The 75 occupying Spanish soldiers left by helicopter on Saturday night, abandoning the disputed islet of Perejil – called Leila by Morocco – to its permanent population of goats.

Spain's Foreign minister, Ana Palacio, is expected to approve a diplomatic accord to draw a line under the dispute during a symbolic meeting with her Moroccan counterpart in Rabat today (Monday). The whole, farcical episode has proved an embarrassment for Madrid and for the EU, which had to rely on the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, to resolve the diplomatic mess.

The weekend resolution of the crisis comes as a relief to EU foreign ministers who meet in Brussels today, not least because it had threatened to overshadow their gathering. The Moroccan Foreign minister, Mohammed Benaissa, had been expected to press his case in Brussels today, an appearance that would only have exacerbated the diplomatic tensions. Instead, attention will be on Mr Benaissa's meeting with Ms Palacio in Rabat.

A week ago the 15 EU member states expressed solidarity with Spain after the Moroccans sent a small force on to the island. But when Madrid responded with a much larger military operation to take Perejil, France blocked a statement endorsing the Spanish action.

The European Commission added to the embarrassment by offering mediation, only to backtrack in the face of fury from Spain, which expected more wholehearted backing, concluded the paper.

The sister paper "the Financial Times" believes that Morocco feels that its international position has been strengthened by Madrid's demands for sovereignty over the British territory of Gibraltar, and has been stepping up the diplomatic pressure. Thanks to the persuasive powers of Colin Powell, US secretary of state, Spain and Morocco have averted a military escalation over Perejil (Parsley Island), a barren scrap of rock at the entrance to the Mediterranean. But Spanish diplomats fear that the damage to the already strained relations between the two will take years to heal, writes Monday the British daily "The Financial Times" in an article by Leslie Crawford and Joshua Levitt under the heading "Grievances below the surface".

Spain regards its North African possessions as an integral part of its territory while Morocco believes "Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla is unacceptable in the 21st century", says Mohamed Benaissa, Morocco's foreign minister. Raising the Moroccan flag on the island, he says, was "an act of sovereignty". While Mr Powell on Saturday persuaded Madrid and Rabat to end the dispute over the island, the issue is unlikely to go away. Morocco has put the "decolonisation of Ceuta and Melilla" on the international agenda. Its claims will become louder if Spain and the UK reach agreement on sharing sovereignty over Gibraltar, says the business daily adding that "Mr Powell's intervention was significant and since September 11, Washington has
paid more attention to "friendly" Muslim nations".

Last month, Morocco arrested an al-Qaeda cell suspected of planning attacks against US and British warships in the Strait of Gibraltar.
The arrests reinforced Morocco's importance as a strategic US ally and as a bulwark against the spread of Islamic fundamentalism, writes the British daily pointing out that "US diplomats in Rabat say it was important to resolve the spat over Parsley Island quickly".
"There was no intention to let this get out of hand," one diplomat said. "Morocco and Spain have a lot to talk about. They have to make space for dialogue", concludes "The Financial Times".

"The Daily telegraph" in an article under the heading "Perejil left again to the gulls and scorpions", underlines the fact that "The Spanish media yesterday generally expressed relief over the end of an "absurd" squabble, saying it amounted to "two bald men fighting over a comb". The paper points out that "others feared that the dispute needlessly aggravated Europe's relations with the Arab world", nevertheless, "Most acknowledged that Morocco had succeeded in bringing its grievances to an international audience".

Morocco, adds the British daily, " has succeeded in publicising its claim to the Spanish North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla". Spain, continues the paper, "has consistently said they are not up for negotiation at a sensitive time for Anglo-Spanish talks over Gibraltar".

The paper, quoting the Moroccan news agency MAP, said the accord strengthened the nation's position because "it put as a precondition for dialogue, the immediate withdrawal of the invading forces, which was obtained in the end", concluded the "Daily Telegraph".
 
 

Islet Issue: Moroccans are United Behind Their king, Le Figaro

PARIS, July 19 - The Moroccan people stood as one single man by their king to denounce the Spanish aggression against the Taoura/Leila islet, wrote French Le Figaro daily in a story titled "Tous derrière leur roi" (All Behind their King).

The daily stated that to defend their country's territorial integrity, Moroccans found themselves in the same mood as that of the "Green March" that took them southward in October 1975 to affirm Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara (a territory that was at the time under Spanish rule and that was actually liberated thanks to the Green March).

The daily describes how the inhabitants of Tetuan, a Moroccan northern city facing the disputed islet, took to the street to protest before Spain's consulate the invasion of the islet by Spanish forces, brandishing banners denouncing Spanish colonialism. The daily recalls that the islet, renowned in the past for its aromatic herbs, has become a nest for candidates to illegal emigration. There is a cave in the islet that can shelter some 300 persons, writes the daily.

Quoting the governor of Tetuan, the daily added that that this is also an ideal hiding spot for drug traffickers, a fact that justifies the regular inspection operations conducted by Moroccan gendarmerie units on the islet.

The daily which wondered whether Morocco will be "punished" for its vigilance and respect of its commitments vis-a-vis the European Union recalled that King Mohammed VI had summoned a ministers' council which vehemently condemned the Spanish aggression against the Moroccan territory and denounced the disproportionate military deployment of gunboats, aircraft-carrier, submarines, and helicopters.

The French daily also echoed the response of the Moroccan press and Moroccan political parties which have all denounced Spain's bellicose attitude.

Several other newspapers across the world published comments on the invasion of the islet by Spanish forces and many criticized Spain for this aggression described as stemming from Spain's colonialism complex.

 

Leila Islet Crisis: "It is Blatant Trickery", said Joe Bassano
LONDON, July 19 - Referring to the crisis between Morocco and Spain following the latter's military occupation of Leila island on Wednesday, Joe Bassano, leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party, said that "Britain cannot negotiate in good faith with Spain" over Gibraltar.

"Britain cannot negotiate in good faith with Spain as Spain has actually admitted it promised to resolve the Perijil (Leila) problem by diplomatic means so as to retain the element of surprise," Bassano, the leader of the major opposition party in Gibraltar, told British "The Daily Mail."

Leanna Armstrong-Emery of the Independent Liberal Forum party in Gibraltar on her part said that "we should not be surprised to see Spain make promises and then break them. Over many years, they've reneged on their obligations and treaties".

The Daily Mail writes that "Spain's move was also a snub for the EU Commission, which had called less than 24 hours earlier for a diplomatic solution.
 

Britain Distances Itself from Madrid's Case and Use of Force, says the Daily Telegraph
LONDON, July 19 - "Britain distanced itself from Spain's actions yesterday (Wednesday), as officials said Madrid should withdraw its troops" from the Leila island, writes Thursday Anton La Guardia, diplomatic editor of the British daily "The Daily Telegraph" .

"Britain has formally gone along with vague expressions of support for Spain by the European Union and NATO, but it has deliberately not backed Spain's claim to Perejil or its use of force", points out the British daily.

"We do not take a position on the details of the territorial dispute and I do not want to say if military action was justified or not," said one senior Whitehall source quoted by the paper.

"There is now an opportunity for both sides to take their troops away and to work at this in a calm and considered way."

He added: "The Spaniards are looking for solidarity from their partners in the European Union and at the United Nations they will no doubt hear from their partners that everybody wants this resolved peacefully."

The stand-off between Spain and Morocco places Britain in a delicate position, said the paper...but is worried that the upheaval could upset the status of Gibraltar and complicate the controversial negotiations over the future of the Rock.

Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, who was away on a trip to China, did not attempt to speak to either his Spanish or Moroccan counterparts. "This is not our dispute. But obviously if it escalates into something bigger we will all have to take it seriously," said one official.

Gibraltarian officials privately point out, however, the "contradiction" and "double standard" of Spain's attitude: it robustly fends off Moroccan claims to its enclaves in North Africa, and yet demands that Britain give up the Rock, the Daily Telegraph concluded.

 

Leila Islet: Arab Media Back Morocco, Criticize EU Stand


RABAT, July 16 - Several Arab newspapers have voiced support to Morocco and to its sovereignty over the Leila islet that is located well within Moroccan territorial waters and criticized the European Union for its siding with Spain.

Al-Qods Al-Arabi deplored Spain's ill-intentions and arrogance as well as the stand of the European Union which behaves, the daily said "according to the colonialist logic of the past in the era of globalization and economic overture."

Last week, Morocco set up a surveillance post in the tiny uninhabited island of Leila, located less than 200 meters off the Moroccan Mediterranean coast, some 40 KM east of Tangiers, and explained that the operation is a mere drive to check illegal emigration, drug trafficking and other unlawful activities in the Gibraltar strait.

Morocco's stand over its territorial waters must "enjoy the backing of all the Arab world and of all developing countries, for this stand is based on right and logic," wrote Al Qods Al Arabi, describing as "ridiculous" the stance adopted by Europe which accuses Morocco of occupying the islet, for, the daily explained, how can a state occupy a part of its own territory? The islet is Moroccan and is located less than 200 meters off the Moroccan coast, the daily insisted, adding that Spain, which has never claimed the islet -as it has no economic nor strategic value-- adopted a provocative and unfriendly attitude.

Egyptian Al Joumhouriya daily asserted Morocco's historical rights over the islet, located within Moroccan territorial waters, while United Arab Emirates daily Al-Ittihad criticized Europe's siding with Spain and the statement it issued on the matter.

The statement did not mention at all Morocco's repeated calls to Spain to open dialogue on the Moroccan territories occupied by Spain, and in the first instance, Sebta and mlelillia, the UAE daily said deeming that Spain must immediately withdraw from these territories, in line with international law.

Qatari Arraya daily described in an editorial the European countries' stand as "hard and disproportionate". Deploring Spain's inflexible stance, the daily stated that the member countries of the European Union, instead of encouraging dialogue and negotiations in a minor issue, sided with the intransigent stand of Spain.

Calling for dialogue as the sole means to maintain Euro-Moroccan relations sound, the daily said the crisis, created out of nothing by the Spanish government, aims at diverting attention from Morocco's legitimate claims over Sebta, melillia and the neighboring Jaffarine Islands.

Moroccan newspapers of all trends have largely commented on the developments that followed the deployment on July 11 of Moroccan security forces on the islet, describing as incomprehensible the "firm response" on the part of the Spanish government which sought to give the issue a dimension involving the European Union. Moroccan papers have all deplored the fact that the EU sided with Madrid without checking the legal statute of this islet, where Moroccan presence has been permanent since 1956 and without taking into account political, historical and geographic data.

Several papers explained that Madrid seeks pretexts to kindle tension in the region as a revenge over Morocco which did not renew the fisheries accord with the EU and pointed out that Spain remains imprisoned in outdated mentalities and concepts inherited from the colonial era.

 

 

Moroccan Daily Criticizes Algerian Media Position on Moroccan-Spanish Row Over Leila Islet
RABAT, July 17 - Moroccan daily "Al Ittihad Al Ishtiraki" criticizes this Wednesday the Algerian media for having marked off from all other media in the Arab world, taking an anti-Moroccan stance in the Moroccan-Spanish crisis over the Mediterranean islet of Leila.

Unlike the Arab League which supports Morocco's sovereignty and legitimate rights over the tiny island, the Arab Parliamentary Union which voiced solidarity and support to Morocco and the Arab media which are closely following developments and supporting Morocco, the Algerian media, both official and unofficial, are standing aloof of the Arab community, the paper notes.

The Algerian media, says thee paper, are adopting a hostile position and call the Moroccan move to set a surveillance post in the Mediterranean island of Leila "Morocco's occupation of the Leila island" while actually it is a mere confirmation of Moroccan sovereignty.


In a first-page column, the daily which wonders "where do the Algerian media stand as regards requirements of Arab solidarity, neighborliness and brotherhood?" comments that information handling in Algeria reveals the extent of rancor that the Algerian regime harbors for Morocco and that the Algerian official press has failed to make a distinction between pan-Arab solidarity and a bilateral dispute.
 

Algerian minister of Maghreban and African affairs, Abdelkader Messahel, said Tuesday "Algeria refuses any fait accompli policy and any violation of international legality" and drew a comparison between the Mediterranean Leila islet and the Sahara issue, which he both considered as situations of borders inherited at independence.