Morocco Protests Against Spain - 2002-07-17

Spanish military forces expelled Moroccan soldiers from a small disputed island in the Mediterranean Sea, which Moroccan soldiers had occupied the previous week. According to Spanish media reports and government officials, the operation to remove the Moroccan soldiers from the island was carried out without incident or injuries. The uninhabited island, referred to as Perejil by Spain and Leila by Morocco, is located in Moroccan coastal waters just 200 meters from the country's land. Spain considers it part of its territory in North Africa. Moroccan officials stated that they had sent 12 soldiers to the island to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking. The Moroccan government has protested Spain's deployment of troops to the disputed island in the Mediterranean and has called for the withdrawal of Spanish soldiers from the island. Morocco claims that both sides have been in dialogue towards a diplomatic resolution of the conflict. Earlier, Spain announced that its forces had expelled the Moroccan soldiers who had been stationed on the island for a week. Ana Palacio, Spain's Foreign Minister, stated that Spanish forces would soon leave the island and called for the island to return to its status prior to the Moroccan soldiers' landing there. Until Morocco's action, neither side had made significant claims over the uninhabited island.