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Moroccans Cheer Departure of Spanish Soldiers from Islet |
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JBEL MOUSSA, July 22 -
Moroccans in the small village of Jbel Moussa, which sits between
the Mediterranean Islet of Tourah/Leila (less than 200 meters from
the Moroccan coast) and Sebta (a Moroccan northern city still under
Spanish rule) were cheerful as they witnessed the departure of
Spanish soldiers from the Islet. In a joyful atmosphere Moroccans chanted slogans and the national anthem, perched on a hilltop witnessing the end of a black page in Moroccan-Spanish relations. The small roads of this usually calm village looked like a busy hive after four days of occupation by Spanish troops of the Moroccan island. “They (the Spanish) are leaving at night just as they stealthily came by night”, an old man says as his voice was covered by car horns and shouts of Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest). I know they were bound to go sooner or later, just as they will be soon leaving Sebta and Melilia (two Moroccan northern towns occupied by Spain) and all the other neighboring islands, says a youngster from the village. The Spanish forces also lowered the flags under a US-sponsored agreement which had Spain pull out troops it sent there on July 11 to drive out six Moroccan security agents sent by Morocco on a mere policing operation to control drug trafficking, illegal immigration and international terrorism in the strait of Gibraltar. |
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Spanish Political Parties Welcome Spain’s Withdrawal from Moroccan Islet |
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MADRID, July 22 -As Spain
withdrew troops it had deployed on Wednesday at the Moroccan
Mediterranean islet of Taoura/Leila, Spanish political parties
welcomed the development and the focus shifted from the occupation
of a tiny island to the wider scope of Moroccan-Spanish relations
and the package of pending issues between the two countries. Secretary general of the Spanish Labor Socialist Party (PSOE), Jose Luis Zapatero Rodriguez, said the agreement is positive and called for a deep thought in the conflict causes and the future of bilateral relations. He announced that he will ask for a lower chamber hearing of the Spanish foreign minister, Ana de Palacio, to explain terms of the agreement and immediate perspective of ties with Morocco. "After overcoming the incident, time has come to think of the future more than what we have done recently”, he stressed. For general coordinator of the unified left coalition, Gaspar Llamazares, who was satisfied that the military option has been relegated to a secondary rank, the agreement reinforces the position of France and the USA in North Africa while Spain’s position, he said, was seriously affected. Llamazares criticized the Spanish government’s inability to settle the crisis in a bilateral frame and had to resort to the US mediation. Llamazares deplored that Madrid has not honored its commitment to find a diplomatic way out to the crisis and, as a result, found itself more than isolated on the international scene and forced to resort to the US protection instead of promoting the diplomatic path. On his part, spokesman for the Cataluna coalition at the lower parliamentary chamber, Iganisi Guardans, said the Spanish government, instead of being satisfied with the return to the status quo ante July 11, should seek to return to the status quo ante last year and make a move to improve relations with Morocco by opening new sound ways of communication. The same views were expressed by Spanish daily “La Razon” whose manager called the Spanish government, led by Jose Maria Aznar, to “open its eyes and change its attitude toward Morocco on the Sahara issue, in order to reach normal and friendly relations with the North African country”. The editorialist invited Madrid to follow the example of France and the USA which understood the Moroccan stance and are accepting that the former Spanish colony (Sahara) become a Moroccan province, a priority for Morocco. La Razon notes that the Moroccan government has been sending to Spain messages to reconsider its policy in the Sahara, an issue that has already led Morocco to call back (last October) its ambassador to Spain. The editorialist also deplores that Spain continues to support, like Algeria, the referendum and insists that normalization of Moroccan-Spanish relations depends on the adoption of the same stance as France and the USA on the Sahara. The editorialist further calls the Spanish foreign minister not to bog down in the issue of Sebta and Melilia and to thoroughly address all other pending issues. Other Spanish dailies also called Spain to reconsider with “serenity” and “wisdom” the whole set of Moroccan-Spanish relations. For the wide-circulation daily “El Pais”, diplomacy has ended an absurd situation in which the Spanish policy failed to be up to a country that boasts an international stature. For the paper, it would have been better to try to settle the issue of the islet located in Moroccan territorial waters through the international court of justice. The way the crisis was handled showed the European Union’s poor performance in settling problems between members and allies, the daily deplored. El Pais’ editorial further notes that the settlement of the Spanish-British dispute over Gibraltar will lead Morocco to lay claims on its own territories occupied by Spain in northern Morocco, and stresses that it is necessary to heal wounds the soonest. For El Pais, the settlement of the standoff is not an end in itself but should be used to re-start normal and fruitful relations between Spain and Morocco. |
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Moroccan Associations Hold Symbolic Rally in Islet After Spain’s Pullout |
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JBEL MOUSSA, July 22 - Several
Moroccan non-governmental organizations have staged a symbolic rally
on Sunday in the village of Jbel Moussa , which sits between the
Mediterranean Islet of Tourah/Leila (less than 200 meters from the
Moroccan coast) and Sebta (a Moroccan northern city still under
Spanish rule) to mark the Spanish soldiers’ pullout from the islet.
The members of several political, media, attorneys and youth organizations who travelled to the region aboard chartered buses and private cars chanted slogans denouncing the Spanish occupation and waved banners calling Spanish and international peace-loving forces to support Morocco’s legitimate rights over its territorial waters, if the Mediterranean basin is to live in peace, solidarity and tolerance. The wisdom and perspicacity demonstrated by Morocco have likewise been held as an attitude that produced to the whole world evidence that Morocco is a country that favors peace, international legality, dialogue and good neighborliness. The participants in the rally further hailed the Moroccan attitude which, from the outbreak of the crisis when Spain sent an armada to the islet, upheld dialogue as the best solution to overcome obstacles and defuse divergences between the two Mediterranean countries on the basis of their privileged ties, history and shared interests. |
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Several countries Hail Solution of Leila Islet Crisis |
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RABAT, July 22- Several
countries have hailed the settlement of the dispute between Morocco
and Spain over the Moroccan Taoura/Leila islet, that had been
invaded last Wednesday by Spanish forces. The successful contacts conducted by King Mohammed VI with the American administration resulted in the withdrawal of the Spanish forces from the islet Saturday evening. In Paris, a statement by the foreign ministry said after Spain withdrew its forces from the Moroccan islet that France rejoices at the accord reached Saturday evening between Morocco and Spain. “France also rejoices at the resumption of dialogue between the two countries,” said spokesman for the Quay D’Orsay, Francois Rivasseau. The communiqué released Saturday evening in Rabat by the official spokesman for the Moroccan ministry of foreign affairs and cooperation to announce that Spanish forces had withdrawn from the islet also said that the Spanish foreign minister was expected in Rabat Monday morning for talks with her Moroccan peer. "The Spanish government has withdrawn its forces from the Moroccan Taoura islet, named Leila islet, thanks to the successful contacts conducted by H.M. King Mohammed VI with the American administration. Following the laudable good offices conducted by US secretary of state Colin Powell, the Moroccan and Spanish foreign ministers will hold a meeting on Monday July 22nd in Rabat," said the spokesman. In Kuwait city, vice-president of the Kuwaiti ministers’ council, Mohamed Daif Allah, said Kuwait hailed the accord reached between Morocco and Spain over the Moroccan islet. “This accord is a stride in the right direction,” said the Kuwaiti official Sunday after the ministers’ council weekly meeting. He expressed hope that Morocco and Spain would reach “a permanent accord that preserves the rights of the brotherly kingdom of Morocco and consolidates the historic relations of neighborliness between the two countries.” In Brussels, the European Commission voiced “satisfaction and relief” at the settlement of the crisis between Morocco and Spain after Spain withdrew its forces from the islet. “We are relieved and happy,” said Sunday the commission’s spokesman, Jonathan Faull. He added that even if the Moroccan minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa does not visit Brussels, as it was initially scheduled, contacts with Morocco “a neighbor and friendly country and an outstanding partner” will be varried on at various levels. Contacts between Morocco and the European Union are “constant” and take place “at several levels”, the commission spokesman insisted. He stated further, alluding to the role played by the United States in defusing the tension, that whatever the side that worked to defuse the crisis, what matters is the result. The European Union has also “played its role, discreetly,“ he said. At the outbreak of the crisis, the commission had described the deployment of a Moroccan surveillance unit on the islet, part of a routine operation to control illegal immigration, smuggling and drug trafficking in the strait of Gibraltar, as “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.” The commission later on stepped back to affirm that this was not a stand on the legal status of the islet and that the commission, as put by the spokesman, only showed understanding towards a member state in a difficult situation. The spokesman had then recalled that relations between Morocco and the EU were very important and that the commission “deplores the dispute that disturbs such relations.” |
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Morocco’s Ties with EU Comforted (Official) |
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BRUSSELS, July 22- Morocco’s
ties with the European Union (EU) were comforted and the channels of
communication between Rabat and Brussels remained open during the
crisis that broke out following Spain’s invasion of the Moroccan
islet of Toura. The statement was made Monday by Ms. Aicha Belarbi, Morocco’s ambassador to the EU, who noted that Morocco and Spain held this Monday in Rabat talks to shelve the problem thanks to the perspicacity of King Mohammed VI. The ambassador paid tribute to the United States for its mediation that helped settle the issue. Ms. Belarbi said that in all the contacts she had with the EU officials, she felt the esteem and respect these officials have for Morocco. The EU did not want to get involved in the Moroccan-Spanish crisis and preferred that the problem remain bilateral in order to spare the strategic relations with Morocco. Foreign policy is still considered a sovereignty field for the 15 EU member countries, making it difficult to reach a consensus, the diplomat said. Ms. Belarbi voiced Morocco’s tribute to the EU member countries, like France, that backed Morocco. |
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GCC Deplores Spain's Invasion of Moroccan Islet |
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RIYADH, July 20- The Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) deplored the Spanish army's invasion of
the Moroccan islet of Leila and called for Spanish withdrawal from
this Moroccan territory. In a release published Friday, the GCC member countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman) also urged the Spanish government to start earnest and direct negotiations with Morocco to reach a peaceful settlement to the crisis. The statement further calls Spain to abide by "neighborliness principles" in order to safeguard the traditional relations existing between Spain and the Arab World. |
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Spanish Local Official: Spain Should Reconsider Vision of Relations with Morocco |
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MADRID, July 20- President of
the Spanish regional government of Cataluna, Jordi Pujol, said on
Friday Spain should reconsider its vision of its relations with
Morocco and try to understand its southern neighbor's positions,
stressing that claiming the return to the status-quo in the Leila
island is not enough. Pujol, who welcomed the détente noticed Friday in the Moroccan-Spanish standoff over the Mediterranean islet told radio station "Cadena Ser" returning to the status-quo that prevailed ten days ago is not enough because relations between the two countries have seriously deteriorated over the past years. He also argued that the incident should be exploited to address Moroccan-Spanish relations in a different way, voicing confidence in Morocco's earnestness to reach a way out through dialogue. For Pujol, Spain and the European Union should understand Moroccan positions and be fully aware of the importance for them of Morocco's progress. They should likewise try to promote political and economic ties geared toward Morocco's development and growth, he went on. He said Morocco is the most important country for Spain, from strategic, military, political, economic and demographic points of view and, as such, it should get the same treatment that the USA gives to Mexico, in order to foster its development and economic growth and regulate immigration. He further held Spain responsible for "a poor understanding" of Morocco, before inviting Spanish officials to endeavor to understand Morocco, like they are doing with their British, Japanese, Saudi, German and Chinese partners. For this, he went on, Spain should get rid of some superiority complexes that it often demonstrates in dealing with Morocco. |
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H.M. King Mohammed VI Gets Message from King of Bahrain Expressing Backing to Morocco's Sovereignty |
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RABAT, July 19 - H.M. King
Mohammed VI received this Friday at the royal palace in Rabat,
Sheikh Abdellah Ben Hamad Al-Khalifa, son of the king of Bahrain and
governor of the southern region. Sheikh Abdellah Ben Hamad Al-Khalifa extended to the sovereign his congratulations on his marriage and handed him a message expressing the backing of Bahrain, King, government and people to brotherly Morocco and to its sovereignty over the whole Moroccan territory, reported the Bahraini news agency. Sheikh Abdallah, who arrived in Morocco Thursday, called the Spanish government to restore the status quo ante on the islet so that relations between the two countries be not harmed and strained and to peacefully settle this dispute far from any military escalation, on the basis of international law, said the agency. Sheikh Abdallah underlined the need to multiply "laudable efforts to settle the dispute between the brotherly kingdom of Morocco and Spain through peaceful and diplomatic means, in order to preserve neighborliness relations and shared interests of the two neighbor countries as well as stability and security in the region," went on the Bahraini agency. |
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European Commission Says EU Has Not Taken Any Position on Legal Status of Leila Islet |
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BRUSSELS, July 19 - The
European Union has not taken any position on the legal status of the
Leila islet which was invaded on Wednesday by Spanish forces, said
here Friday spokesman for the European Commission, Jonathan Faull.
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London Calls for Rapid and Peaceful Settlement of Moroccan-Spanish Crisis |
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LONDON, July 19 - The British
government called on Thursday for a rapid and peaceful settlement of
the Moroccan-Spanish crisis over the Leila islet. British foreign office secretary, Baroness Symons, told the parliament Britain hoped that the crisis would be settled rapidly and peacefully, given its good relations with both countries. She also ruled out any parallel between the crisis and ongoing talks between Spain and Great Britain on Gibraltar. Britain has remained neutral in the Moroccan-Spanish stand off over the islet while the British media has been criticizing Spain's double standard policy of its territorial claims on Gibraltar and refusal to discuss the future of its two colonies in northern Morocco. |
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Saudi Arabia Sides with Morocco in Dispute with Spain |
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JEDDAH, July 19 - Saudi Arabia
has voiced backing to Morocco for the recovery of its occupied
territories and the preservation of its territorial integrity,
reported Thursday the Saudi news agency SPA. "The Saudi cabinet is following with keen interest the developments of the situation between the brotherly kingdom of Morocco and Spain," an official from the Saudi ministry of foreign affairs was quoted by SPA as saying. The Saudi government deplores Spain's resort to force at a time efforts were being made to find a peaceful way out to the issue, said the official. |
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UAE Voices Backing to Morocco in Dispute with Spain Over Islet |
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ABU DHABI, July 19 - The United
Arab Emirates has expressed support to Morocco in the dispute with
Spain over the Moroccan Taoura/Leila islet. A spokesman for the UAE government said in a statement carried by the UAE news agency WAM that "the state of the United Arab Emirates affirms its backing to Morocco and sides with the kingdom in its demand for the withdrawal of Spanish forces from the Moroccan Leila islet." The UAE calls Spain which is bound by historical and close friendship ties to Arab countries in general and to Morocco in particular to settle the dispute with the kingdom of Morocco through peaceful means, said the spokesman. |
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Moroccans Protest Spain's Invasion of Moroccan Islet |
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RABAT, July 18 - Moroccans
demonstrated this Thursday in capital city Rabat and in the northern
city of Tetuan, to protest Spain's invasion of the Moroccan Leila
islet. In Rabat, some 200 persons representing human rights, information and civil society associations demonstrated in front of Spain's embassy at the call of the Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH). The demonstrators chanted slogans denouncing Spain's occupation of the Moroccan islet and calling for the liberation of Sebta and Melillia and neighboring Jaffarine islands. AMDH chairman, Abdelhamid Amine, stressed in an address he made on the occasion the need to settle the issue amicably and to opt for peaceful channels. He hailed the Spanish leftist "Izquierda Unida" party for its "courageous stand which upholds friendship between peoples and rejects colonial mindset". Amine called other Spanish living forces to show courage and voice support to Morocco's rights. The AMDH chairman also denounced the biased stand adopted by the European Union and NATO over this issue. The AMDH central bureau sent on behalf of the demonstrators a letter to Spain's embassy in Rabat strongly denouncing the islet invasion which evidences a colonial mentality, in contradiction with human rights values. In Tetuan, some 200 persons staged a demonstration for the second consecutive day in front of Spain's consulate to denounce the military intervention in the islet. The demonstrators, waving the Moroccan flag and brandishing banners, chanted slogans upholding the Moroccan identity of the islet and condemning Spain's aggressions against this integral part of Morocco's national territory.
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Libya Dispatches Foreign Minister to Rabat, Madrid to Defuse Tension over Leila Islet |
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RABAT, July 18 - Libyan leader
Moammar Gaddafi has dispatched foreign minister, Abderrahmane
Mohamed Chalkam, to Morocco and Spain in a bid to find a peaceful
way out to the two countries' dispute over the Leila islet and avoid
any escalation. The Libyan foreign minister who arrived in Rabat Thursday afternoon told reporters his country can only side with Morocco in its dispute with Spain over the Moroccan Leila islet. He said he had been dispatched by the Libyan leader on an emergency assignment to Morocco and Spain to find a peaceful way out to this problem and avoid any escalation. The Libyan official added that Libya which is holding the chairmanship of the "5+5" group, wherein both Morocco and Spain are members (along with Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia and France, Italy, Malta and Portugal), wishes to play a role and find a solution to this issue, far from any use of force. The Libyan leader is personally granting paramount interest to this issue, he said, expressing hope that the two sides would reach a solution "preserving rights" and "shielding the Mediterranean basin from any escalation." |
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Moroccan Political Parties, Ngos Denounce Spain's Military Occupation of Leila Islet |
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RABAT, July 18 - Moroccan
political parties of all trends, trade unions, professional
associations, non-governmental organizations and civil society
associations have vehemently condemned Spain for its military
occupation of the Moroccan Leila islet and the disproportionate
forces it deployed to this end. In press releases, statements or interviews, all these parties and organizations have called for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Spain from the Leila islet, an integral part of Moroccan territory. Spain's occupation of the Moroccan islet is described by these Moroccan living forces as "an intolerable act of international brigandage" "a hostile, colonial policy", "a new/old colonialist plot" "a provocative aggression", "an invasion, in contradiction with international legality", "a large-scale colonial maneuver against a sovereign state", "a blatant aggression against Morocco", "a colonial act, consecrating extremism in international relations", "a colonial mindset". All these organizations have voiced mobilization around King Mohammed VI and backing to all the initiatives made by the sovereign to preserve and defend the country's territorial integrity. They equally called the international community to condemn Spain for the use of force after the two sides had agreed to settle the matter through diplomatic channels. Several organizations have called for the staging of demos before Spanish diplomatic representations in Morocco to denounce the Spanish plot. A sit-in is to be held this Thursday evening before Spain's embassy in Rabat. On Wednesday evening, the committees of foreign affairs and national defense at the two houses of the Moroccan parliament held a joint meeting during which Moroccan minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa, made a detailed presentation on the issue and on the contacts conducted by Morocco since the outbreak of the crisis with Spain. He recalled that Madrid does not have a single historical or political document evidencing that Spain has ever exercised sovereignty over the islet. The MPs of all parliamentary groups within the two chambers strongly denounced the islet occupation deeming the act a dangerous provocation and a blatant aggression against Moroccan sovereignty. They equally voiced full support to the government's decisions and called the Moroccan people to remain mobilized behind the sovereign to defend the country's territorial integrity and liberate the Moroccan northern cities and islands still under Spanish dominion. The Moroccan mps called for the use of all diplomatic channels to end the Spanish occupation of the islet, which is an integral part of the Moroccan national territory. Moroccan newspapers of all trends have also devoted front page comments to the islet occupation that they described as a dangerous precedent for stability and peace in the Mediterranean. The papers which described the islet occupation and the disproportionate deployment of force as an unjustified, incomprehensible, quasi-hysterical act of war said the move might not only deteriorate already strained Moroccan-Spanish relations but also plunge the whole region in a risky escalation.
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Washington Cites Contacts with Morocco and Spain to Reach Peaceful Settlement to Leila Islet Issue |
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WASHINGTON, July 18 - The US
department of state said on Wednesday close consultations have been
held with both sides (Morocco and Spain) over the Moroccan
Mediterranean islet of Leila to reach a peaceful settlement. The department of state's spokesman, Richard Boucher, said at the daily press briefing "we're trying to help the parties, our friends on both sides, work this out in a peaceful manner". "We have consulted closely with both sides in pursuit of a diplomatic resolution to this issue. The Secretary has been in close contact, frequent touch with the Foreign Ministers of Spain and Morocco by telephone, over the past few days", he said. |
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Spanish Representative Acknowledges Morocco's Right to Lay Claims on All Territories Occupied by Spain |
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MADRID, July 18 - If Spain is
claiming sovereignty over Gibraltar, it is logical that Morocco also
lays claims on Sebta and Melilia and all other northern areas
occupied by Spain, said Wednesday Spanish representative, Joan
Puigcercos, of the opposition party Esquerra Republicana Per
Catalunya. Speaking at the parliament, Puigcercos said Spain's military operation to occupy the Moroccan Mediterranean islet of Leila is a minor issue, compared to more important issues and that it won't settle decolonization problems in North Africa. Several other Spanish parties criticized Spain's dawn invasion of the islet, including "Izquierda Unida", the Basque National Party, and other non-governmental organizations. The People's Front for the independence of the Canary (FREPIC-AWANAK) released a statement that strongly condemns the colonial invasion and criticizes the Spanish officials for ordering the occupation by force of an African territory that has never belonged to Spain. The Canary party calls for the intervention of the United Nations, the African Union and other supra-national and regional organizations. The Spanish left coalition "Izquierda Unida" on Wednesday openly condemned Spain's invasion of the Mediterranean islet of Leila as a move "resuscitating Spain's colonial and Africanist spirit of past centuries". By using force, the Spanish government is wasting an important position in Africa, Morocco, General coordinator of the leftist coalition, Gaspar Llamazares told the Spanish lower chamber. The coalition also accused the Spanish government of making an abusive use of the resolution adopted on Tuesday by the lower chamber and in which representatives support the continuation of diplomatic moves to defuse the crisis over the islet. In the same vein, chairwoman of the movement for peace, disarmament and freedom, Francisca Sauquillo, condemned Spain's use of force and its invasion of the islet and warned against the risks of spurring an anti-Islamic phobia in the Spanish society and anti-Spanish feelings within the Moroccan society. On its part, the center of studies for peace voiced fears that the invasion of the islet could lead to a deterioration of relations between the two neighboring countries that are linked by strong economic, trade, political and cultural relations. For the spokesman for Peace Now Organization, Julio Rodriguez, who argued for a diplomatic settlement to the dispute, it is logical that at a time Spain is conducting negotiations with the United Kingdom on the future of Gibraltar, Morocco wants to start negotiations on the future of the two Moroccan northern towns occupied by Spain, Sebta and Melilia where, sooner or later, colonization will end. The association also sees that the two countries share more important interests.
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Senegal backs Morocco in Dispute with Spain over Leila Islet |
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DAKAR, July 18 - Senegal has
voiced backing to Morocco in the dispute opposing it to Spain over
the Moroccan Tora/Leila islet. In an official statement issued Wednesday evening in Dakar, the Senegalese government said that it has learnt with amazement the outbreak of the conflict between Morocco and Spain over the Leila islet and that it backs Morocco in this issue. The Senegalese government urges the two sides to open dialogue and to resort to international arbitration, the statement said.
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Tunisia voices "Deep Worry" |
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TUNIS, July 18- Tunisia has
expressed this Thursday "deep worry" over the situation resulting
from the occupation by Spanish forces of the Moroccan Leila islet. In a statement of the foreign ministry carried by Tunisian news agency TAP, Tunisia calls Morocco and Spain "to opt for dialogue and to resort to negotiation" on the Leila islet issue. "Given the ties of brotherhood and solidarity binding Tunisia to the Kingdom of Morocco and given the ties of traditional friendship existing between Tunisia and the Kingdom of Spain, and in view of the unfortunate escalation of tension between the two neighbor countries, Tunisia voices deep worry over this situation," said the statement. Tunisia calls Morocco and Spain ""to opt for dialogue and to resort to negotiation as the appropriate way to overcome anything likely to strain the historical and traditional relations between the two countries." "Such relations, based on the respect of the principles of neighborliness and constructive cooperation have always marked relations between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean, out of concern to consecrate the shared will to consolidate the Mediterranean space on the basis of mutual respect and shared interests, and for the sake of peace, security and stability to the benefit of all," the statement went on. Tunisian secretary of state in charge of Maghreban and African affairs, Sadak Fayala, received this Thursday Morocco's ambassador to Tunisia, Abdellah Belkziz, to whom he expressed his country's deep worry over the latest developments, and especially the Spanish government's escalation. The Moroccan diplomat informed the Tunisian official on the developments of the situation following the occupation of the islet by Spanish forces, Wednesday at dawn. |
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Moroccan Leila Islet: Arab League Chief in Madrid Next Week |
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CAIRO, July 18- Arab League
Secretary General, Amr Moussa, announced this Thursday he would make
a trip to Spain next Tuesday to discuss with Spanish officials the
crisis over the Moroccan Leila islet. In a Statement carried by Egyptian Al Akhbar daily, Moussa said he would confer with Spanish foreign minister, Ana de Palacio, on ways to peacefully settle the crisis between the two countries. The Moroccan Leila islet should not be the object of a military conflict between Spain and Morocco, Moussa said. The Arab League Secretary General has since the outbreak of the crisis over the Moroccan islet voiced "full support" of all Arab States to Morocco's rights and their solidarity with the Kingdom in the case and expressed "deep regret" after Spain used on Wednesday at dawn force and concentration of military units to occupy the Moroccan Leila islet. |
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Arab Parliamentary Union Says Morocco's Surveillance Post in Leila Islet Normal Exercise of Sovereignty |
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DAMASCUS, July 18 - The
Damascus-based Arab Parliamentary Union said in a release issued
Tuesday that the setting up of a surveillance post on the Moroccan
Leila Islet is "a normal exercise of Morocco's sovereignty over a
part of its national territory." The APU voiced "solidarity with Morocco and support to its sovereignty over all parts of its national territory, which also includes the cities of Sebta, Melillia and the neighboring Jaffarine Islands." The APU voiced "surprise at the escalation adopted by some parties, which, while claiming to work for establishing security and peace in the Mediterranean region, back Spain in its occupation of territories located on another continent, within a sovereign state, in defiance of historical and geographic facts and peoples' rights and sovereignty." The Arab Parliamentary Union said it was following with "deep concern the tension between the two friendly and neighboring countries, Morocco and Spain, over the islet, especially after the Spanish Government deployed gunboats near the island, escalating tension between the two countries." The disputes between Morocco and Spain on the Moroccan zones still under Spanish occupation cannot be settled by a display or use of force, but through dialogue and negotiation, said APU, calling the Spanish government to start direct negotiations with Morocco for a peaceful way out to the issue of the Moroccan regions still occupied by Spain and to respond to Morocco's proposal to set up a Moroccan-Spanish commission that will seek a fair and peaceful settlement, guaranteeing Morocco's historical rights and sovereignty and protecting Spain's interests. The Union urged world parliaments and governments to work to contain the Moroccan-Spanish dispute and to encourage a direct dialogue in order to preserve relations between the two countries and relations between Spain and the Arab-Islamic world.
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Spain Calls Back its ambassador to Morocco Over Leila Islet Crisis |
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MADRID, July 17 - The Spanish
government has recalled its ambassador in Morocco for consultations,
announced on Tuesday night the Spanish foreign department. Strained relations between Morocco and Spain have reached a peak following Madrid's disproportionate reaction to Morocco's decision to set a surveillance post on the Mediterranean islet of Leila, an uninhabited rock, located less than 200 meters off the Moroccan Mediterranean coast, some 40 KM east of Tangiers. Morocco says the setting of a surveillance post on its land is a mere policing measure, part of the fight against illegal migration, drug trafficking and terrorism, particularly in the strait of Gibraltar. On Monday, Moroccan officials called for dialogue over the issue and said the kingdom does not have any intention to embark on an escalation of whatever nature, let alone a military one. Moroccan minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa, told reporters on Monday the islet has never been anything else other than Moroccan and since independence, only Moroccans were present on the territory. he recalled that the status of the rock is different from the status of Sebta and Melilia, two Moroccan northern towns still occupied by Spain.
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Leila Islet: Organization of Islamic Conference Voices Solidarity with Morocco |
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RABAT, July 16 - The
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC/based in Jeddah) expressed
solidarity with Morocco in the crisis that broke out with Spain
after Morocco opened a surveillance post on the Mediterranean islet
of Leila. The secretariat general of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) expressed the OIC solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco in its efforts to defend its rights and sovereignty, emphasizing that the Island of Leila constitutes a part of the territory of a Muslim State Member of the Organisation and bears no relation to the territories of the European Union. In a press release issued this Tuesday the OIC expressed "surprise at the Spanish Government's display of force and unjustified threats directed at an OIC Member State." The OIC also expressed "surprise at the hasty position of the European Union on this issue before examining the full facts of the situation," considering "this position in contradiction with the true objectives of the Moroccan measures in the Island aimed at combating drug-trafficking, international terrorism, and clandestine emigration, which are all part of the priorities of the European Union." The OIC Secretariat General, which recalled that it has been following with deep concern the recent developments over the Moroccan Island of Leila, and that this concern is motivated by the principles of Islamic solidarity and the protection of the security, sovereignty, independence, and national rights of Islamic States, stressed that "the position of the organization is based on giving priority to defusing tension, reinforcing international peace and security, and resolving all outstanding issues through dialogue, negotiations and peaceful means."
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Arab League: Full Support to Morocco |
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CAIRO, July 16 - Arab League
Secretary General, Amr Moussa, Tuesday voiced "full support" of all
Arab States to Morocco's rights and their solidarity with the
Kingdom over the Leila Islet. Amr Moussa made the statement in Cairo after a meeting of the Arab League at the level of permanent representatives, and during which Morocco's ambassador to Egypt and permanent delegate to the League, made a presentation on the matter. The Arab League chief said the position of the League is to support Morocco in its dispute with Spain over the Island. He stressed the need to carry on contacts and discussions between Morocco and Spain and to spare no effort to avoid an escalation of tension. He added that he was in permanent contact with the Moroccan minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa. |
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France Can Help Morocco, Spain Peacefully Settle Dispute Over Leila Islet, French FM |
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PARIS, July 16 - France has "a
vocation to play a moderating role" with Morocco and Spain "which
are two very close friends of France," said Tuesday French foreign
minister, Dominique De Villepin, in remarks about the dispute that
erupted after Morocco set up a surveillance post on the
Mediterranean Leila Islet. The French foreign minister who was guest to Jean-Pierre Elkabbach's political program aired by the radio station "Europe-1" said "France, and of course the European Union too, have a vocation to play a moderating and encouraging role with these two states that are two very close friends of France, to peacefully settle the dispute currently opposing them." Last week Morocco set up a surveillance post in the Mediterranean islet of Leila, located less than 200 meters off the Moroccan coast. In response to Spain's reaction to the move, Morocco said the surveillance post is no more nor less than a mere surveillance operation on its territory that is meant to tighten fight against illegal immigration, drug trafficking and terrorism. |
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