By Tito Drago
MADRID, Jul 22 2002 (IPS)

The United States is guiding the way towards resolution of two colonial conflicts involving Morocco and Spain, as well as Great Britain and the complexities of history and current politics.

After a prolonged but cold meeting in Rabat, foreign ministers Mohamed Benaisa, of Morocco, and Ana Palacio, of Spain, signed a communiqué Monday “formally confirming” an agreement over an islet located in the Strait of Gibraltar that in recent days pushed bilateral relations to the breaking point.

Benaisa and Palacio also recognised the role played by the United States in the case of the island, known as Perejil by Spain, Toura by Morocco, and Leila by the rest of the North African countries, which on Jul 11 was occupied by a half-dozen Moroccan soldiers who Spanish troops forced off six days later.

The accord consists of returning “to the status prior to July 2002,” to the letter of how it was interpreted by U.S. secretary of state, Colin Powell.

Perejil/Toura island is a rocky formation covering 13.5 hectares and located 200 metres from the Moroccan coast, 14 km from continental Spain and eight km from the city of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the North African coast.

The island is uninhabited, though occasionally serves as a hideout for smugglers of drugs or immigrants.

The military operation that Spain launched to recover the islet was seen by the Moroccan government as “an act of war,” putting the already difficult bilateral relations in crisis.

The two countries claim sovereignty over the island, though the issue is not mentioned in any agreement signed by both.

“The actions of both parties in the matter will not jeopardise their respective positions in relation to the status of the island,” says the official communiqué released Monday.

Both sides committed to engaging in “frank and sincere dialogue with the objective of strengthening bilateral relations.” With that goal in mind, the two ministers agreed to meet again in Madrid in September.

The latest meeting between Benaisa and Palacio lasted four hours, two more than scheduled, but was preceded by two factors that contributed to a frosty diplomatic atmosphere.

Against protocol and what was agreed previously, Benaisa did not meet Palacio at the Rabat airport, nor did he greet her at the entrance to the Foreign Ministry, but rather in his office.

Prior to the meeting, the first vice-president of the Spanish government, Mariano Rajoy, had made it clear that the two ministers would “only talk about Perejil.” He said, “if Morocco attempts to include other matters, we will say no.”

The Moroccan government is concerned about two other issues: the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, Spanish enclaves over which Morocco is demanding sovereignty.

Spain categorically rejects any discussion that puts its sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla in question. For Morocco, the matter is of utmost importance, though the top priority is Western Sahara.

That territory, abandoned by Spain in 1975, is claimed as an independent state by the Polisario Front, a movement backed by Algeria that unleashed a guerrilla war lasting until 1991, when the United Nations agreed to step in and sponsor a referendum on self-determination.

The referendum process, however, is at a standstill because the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front cannot agree on the census of the people authorised to vote. The United States put forth the Baker Plan, which would establish autonomy for Western Sahara, but under Moroccan sovereignty.

And it is precisely this week that the UN Security Council is to resolve whether to continue forward with the referendum or accept the Baker Plan.

Spain has generally supported the Polisario Front’s claims, but diplomatic sources from Madrid said in recent days that an independent Western Sahara would not be viable.

A surprise was the change in attitude by the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), the main opposition force, which previously supported the Saharan independence movement.

PSOE secretary-general José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said Sunday that his party would like to see an agreement about Western Sahara that ensures the stability of Morocco, because, he stated, “political rationality comes before solidarity with the Saharawi people.”

Another Spanish socialist leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told IPS that it would be politically foolish to maintain an open conflict over Western Sahara with Morocco and that the United States “already made its position very clear, with Morocco, France and most of the UN Security Council in agreement.”

When the crisis over Perejil/Toura island exploded, the United States sent a high-level delegation from its Central Intelligence Agency, the activities of which were not made known.

The islet lacks economic or military value on its own, but possesses them in relation to Ceuta and Melilla. The two cities are vital for control over the Strait of Gibraltar, as is the Rock of Gibraltar, held by Britain but with sovereignty claimed by Spain.

Great Britain has held control over Gibraltar since the early 18th century, but if Spain were to recover that territory, it would dominate the northern and southern coasts of the strait connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

European diplomatic sources say that for U.S. policy, and for total decolonisation, it would be better if such control were shared between two of its allies, like Spain and Morocco.

The United States took action on the first day of the crisis over Perejil/Toura to facilitate contacts with the Moroccan government, through a “very active” dialogue with Spain and with King Mohamed of Morocco, said Spain’s secretary for European affairs, Ramón de Miguel.

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