Morocco's Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaissa said today that Spain's dispatch of troops to the disputed island of Perejil was equivalent to a "declaration of war." Demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Spanish from the island, Morocco protested to the UN calling on the international body to order an immediate withdrawal of Spanish troops from the island.

In Madrid, Spain's Foreign Minister Ana Palacio has defended its military action saying Spain had acted in self-defence and intended to remove its troops from the island as soon as possible. Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, said the Commission was ready to "facilitate dialogue" between two countries in an effort to resolve the dispute.

A statement from the office of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said the eviction took place without any casualties According to the statement from Mr Aznar's office, Spain took action after consulting with the United Nations Security Council and the country's allies. It has received the full backing of its NATO allies.  

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Spanish Ambassador to Morocco, Fernando Arias-Salgado, was recalled last night for consultations on the crisis. The moves came as a surprise, since Spanish government officials had repeatedly said that they wanted a diplomatic solution to the situation.

PHOTO CAPTION

Moroccans hold up their national flag near the disputed Perejil island (background) off Morocco's Mediterranean coast after Spanish commandos ousted Moroccan troops July 17, 2002. The Arab League urged Spain to withdraw its forces and return the island to its former status, while the European Union, which had previously denounced the Moroccan deployment as a 'violation of Spanish territory,' called for a diplomatic solution and did not endorse the Spanish action. Photo by Desmond Boylan/Reute