Spain warns Morocco over island

Spain wants Moroccan troops to leave the islet

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has warned Morocco that Spain will not allow it to keep troops on the disputed Mediterranean island of Perejil.

We will make all possible diplomatic efforts to restore the rule of international law

Prime Minister Aznar

"Spain will not accept these facts on the ground," Mr Aznar told parliament on Monday.

Morocco responded defiantly, saying it had no intention of pulling its troops off the island, which it calls Leila.

"Morocco will not for the time being withdraw the observation post from island Leila," said Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaissa.

Click here for a map of the area

But he added that Morocco wanted "to use all diplomatic channels to resolve this dispute".

Morocco sent a dozen soldiers to the uninhabited island last week, in what it said was an effort to crack down on terrorism and illegal immigrants.

But Spain claims the soldiers have violated Spanish sovereignty.

Perejil island

200m off the Moroccan shore in the Straits of Gibraltar

Less than 1km in diameter

Rocky and uninhabited

Visited by herdsmen who take their goats to graze

Means "parsley" in Spanish but known as Leila in Morocco

The European Union called on Morocco to withdraw its troops on Sunday - a reaction Mr Benaissa said was disproportionate.

The 22-member Arab League has voiced its support for Morocco.

Madrid has sent four warships to protect its North African enclaves of Ceuta - just east from Perejil - and Melilla, further along the coast.

On Thursday, about a dozen Moroccan troops set up camp on the island and raised the Moroccan flag.

In his annual state of the nation speech in parliament on Monday, Mr Aznar did not threaten the use of force.

He said the government was making every diplomatic effort to restore what he called international legality.

He also made the point that Spain had important trade and aid relations with Morocco.

That is a hint that economic sanctions are an option - perhaps through the suspension of a 1991 co-operation and friendship treaty, says the BBC's diplomatic correspondent, Barnaby Mason.

Historic dispute

The dispute with Morocco over Spain's remaining possessions in and off the north African mainland has never been settled.

Fraught relations

October 2001: Morocco withdraws Madrid ambassador

January 2002: Morocco says proposed Spanish oil prospection off the Canary Isles is "unfriendly" act

April: Spain says it is up to Morocco to decide whether to reinstate Madrid ambassador

June: Moroccan press attacks Spain over immigration policy

July: Morocco protests at Spanish warships cruising too close to its coast

Under a 1956 agreement - when Morocco gained independence - Spain has kept the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which it had held for centuries.

But Morocco strongly disputes Spanish control over several rocky islands.

The current holder of the EU presidency, Denmark, said it was concerned at the situation created by Morocco and was in full solidarity with Spain regarding the island.

The uninhabited island is just 200 metres (220 yards) off the Moroccan shore in the Straits of Gibraltar, and is roughly the size of a football field.

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