MADRID, July 18 (UPI) -- Spain dispatched tanks to its disputed enclave of Ceuta on Morocco's northern shore Thursday while reducing its military presence around the contested nearby island of Perejil, and said it was ready to leave the island altogether if Morocco pledges not to re-occupy it.
Witnesses told United Press International that Spanish forces still control Perejil, but that they withdrew warships and submarines used to take over the island the day before. Only a few Spanish rubber Zodiac boats continued to patrol the area under the watchful eyes of Moroccan Royal Police, who remained in boats a few miles away Thursday.
At the same time, Spanish troops blocked entry into Ceuta, a Spanish town on the Moroccan coast, witnesses said.
Spanish Foreign Minister Ana de Palacio said Spain is ready to withdraw altogether from the disputed island if Morocco pledges not to occupy it.
She told a Spanish radio station her government "pledges to withdraw as soon as possible if it obtains guarantees from the Moroccan government or King Mohammed VI to refrain from occupying the island militarily again."
Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Issa accused Spain of seizing the island after backing out of a U.S.-mediated accord. The deal, he said, provided for Morocco to remove the squad of soldiers put on the island last week in exchange for international guarantees that Spain would not occupy it.
Spain "has no historical or political document that confirms its sovereignty over Leila," bin Issa said, using the Moroccan name for the tiny island. He called the Spanish occupation morally and diplomatically unacceptable.
Spaniards call the tiny Mediterranean island Perijil, or parsley, while Moroccans call it Leila, the name of the heroine of a well-known ancient Arabic epic.
The Spanish evicted the handful of Moroccan soldiers who landed there July 11. Morocco demanded Spain pull out immediately from what it called an indivisible part of Moroccan territory.
Spain's El-Mundo newspaper said Thursday the Madrid government contacted foreign governments Wednesday night to inform them of the latest developments, including a call from Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar to President George W. Bush.
Morocco's insistence it would not pull out from the island and the condemnation of the Moroccan action by NATO and the European Union last week encouraged Aznar to intervene militarily, according to El Mundo.
In Tripoli, an official source said Libyan Foreign Minister Abdel Rahman Shalkam was preparing to visit Morocco and Spain to try to persuade them to settle the conflict through negotiations free of any foreign influence.
Shalkam told the Spanish ambassador and Moroccan charge d'affaires in Tripoli during separate meetings Wednesday that Libyan leader Col. Moammar Qadhafi was keen to help resolve the conflict between their two countries out of concern for preserving security and cooperation in the Mediterranean Sea.
Ceuta and Melilla -- another Spanish enclave also home to a thriving town of around 60,000 -- were retained by Spain when Morocco gained independence in 1956 -- along with Perejil and several other small islands.
Ceuta is directly opposite Gibraltar, while Melilla is 200 miles further east. Morocco claims sovereignty over both the enclaves and all the islands.
Spain says the territories have been Spanish since the 15th century, long before the modern kingdom of Morocco was founded. But Morocco says their sovereignty long precedes the modern state -- they trace it back to the Idrissid dynasty in Fez in the eighth century.
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(With reporting by Idriss Issawi from Rabat, Morocco.)
