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Politics : World Affairs Discussion -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Emile Vidrine who wrote (639)	7/21/2002 9:20:35 AM
From: ChinuSFO	Respond to of 3959

Toy war seen as East-West clash: The view in Morocco By Nizar Al-Aly RABAT: The showdown between Morocco and Spain over a tiny island in the Gibraltar strait has come to be seen by political analysts in Morocco as reflection of a wider clash between the Muslim East and the Christian West. An 'occupying' force of six Moroccan soldiers was driven out by an 'invading' force of about 30 Spanish soldiers from the 13-hectare rock earlier this week. The dispute is not a mere quarrel over a tiny territory, says analyst Ahmed Iraqui. It is rather part of a large-scale cultural and civilisational conflict between the east and the west, two worlds with different value systems. Morocco said it had moved in six soldiers to the uninhabited island 200 metres from the Moroccan coast as a part of efforts to tackle terrorism, illegal migration and drug trafficking across the 12-mile strait separating Spain from North Africa. But the six soldiers surrendered without a fight to the Spanish navy on Wednesday. The Spanish removed the Moroccan flags and planted Spanish flags. The incident has worsened relations between the two neighbours, strained already over illegal immigration, fishing rights and the dispute over Western Sahara. The international community supports a referendum in Western Sahara which is at present controlled by Morocco. The Polisario Front fought a sporadic guerrilla war for 15 years in a struggle for independence until a UN-brokered cease-fire in 1991. Spain has said it favours a UN solution to the conflict. Moroccan leaders are talking peace after the row with Spain. We are not advocates of war, said Moroccan foreign minister Mohamed Benaissa. But he said Morocco will use legitimate means to retake the island that it considers a part of its territory. The Moroccan government submitted its case to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday. The disputed island is known in Spain as Isla Perejil (Parsley Island) and in Morocco as Leila. Spain left the island in 1956 along with other areas in northern Morocco when the North African nation gained independence. The island has remained uninhabited since then, until Morocco sent in its six soldiers. Iraqui says the differences between Morocco and Spain should be perceived as an extension of the conflict between Islam and the West. He said this conflict finds its embodiments in what happened in Afghanistan, what is happening in Palestine and what will happen in Iraq. Iraqui told IPS that even Morocco, an ally of the West, is not spared the consequences of such a clash. The major conflicts around the world have a Muslim nation or a minority as one of its parties, he says. This clearly shows the accuracy of the theory of the clash of civilisations between Islam and the West. Prof Brahim Kazwini, who teaches sociology at Rabat University says the Spaniards have not yet forgotten that Morocco was a starting point for the Muslim conquerors who ruled Spain for seven centuries. Spain was ruled by Muslims until 1492, when the last Muslim city Granada fell to Ferdinand and Isabella. The Spanish intervention has provoked strong protest in Morocco where all political parties have come together to decry the Spanish invasion. The Spanish move reflects the hostility that Madrid has for Morocco, said Mohamed Abdiad, leader of the opposition Constitutional Union Party. The Jose Maria Aznar government is unable to get rid of its colonialist mentality in dealing with Morocco. The Popular Movement, one of Morocco's largest political organisations, sees in the development an opportunity for Morocco to toughen its stand against Spain. According to some reports, Spain moved into the island out of fear that Morocco may press claims to Spanish-held territories on the North African coast - Ceuta and Melilla - which are more significant than the rocky islet. Recent talks between Britain and Spain on the future of the disputed British colony of Gibraltar have strengthened Moroccan ambitions to take control of the two enclaves. Abdelkerim Khatib, leader of the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), has urged the Moroccan government to react strongly to the Spanish aggressive act. Khatib, whose party has 12 seats in the Moroccan parliament, said the PJD will remain mobilised to defend Moroccan territorial integrity. Mohamed Moaid, a political analyst, said that out of arrogance, Spain could not accept that Morocco, a developing nation, stands up to defend its rights and interests. He said the Spanish invasion of the Moroccan island is only a part of an escalation that started when Morocco refused to renew a fisheries accord with the European Union. Morocco refused to renew the accord when it expired in 1999, arguing that its fish stocks were dwindling. The decision forced about 600 European ships, mostly Spanish, to berth. In the northern city of Tetouan in Morocco which overlooks the Leila islet, hundreds of citizens took to the streets Thursday in protest. "Spain go away, Leila is not yours," shouted the protesters outside the Spanish consulate. In Rabat stringent security measures were enforced around the Spanish embassy and consular offices. A source close to the Moroccan Palace told IPS that relations are strained not only between the two governments, but also between the monarchies. Relations which were almost like family ties are now cut, the source said. The Moroccan royal family did not invite the King of Spain to the wedding ceremonies of King Mohammed last weekend, he said. -Dawn/InterPress News Service. dawn.com