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CNN Live At Daybreak

Spain Retakes Small Island Off Morocco

Aired July 17, 2002 - 05:35   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to turn our attention now to an interesting story in the Mediterranean, where Spanish forces have apparently retaken a small island off the Moroccan coast.

And our Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman is on the phone with us now -- Al, can you tell us what happened?

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Well, this tiny, barren, rocky island -- it's about the size of a few football fields -- which has been much in the news since last Thursday, when a small contingent of Morocco troops took it, occupied it. It had been uninhabited for decades. They occupied it last Thursday and put up the Moroccan flag. And since then there's been this growing international dispute between Spain and Morocco and other international agencies getting involved.

Well, all that came to an end this morning, or at least the end of the first part of this story, when Spain took it back.

Now, they said there were no shots fired and no one was injured, that according to the Spanish government, in this lightning operation that took place about daybreak, as Spanish troops stormed the island. They captured the six Moroccan troops that were on this little island. They took them over to a Spanish city, gave them breakfast, had a doctor see them and then took them to the Moroccan border and gave them back to Morocco.

Now, there is a Spanish flag flying on this island right now. The diplomatic ramifications of this military action, which came rather unexpectedly, are still to be seen.

At the base of this dispute, if we take it back, Morocco says this uninhabited island is part of Morocco. It's just 200 meters or 200 yards off the Moroccan coast in North Africa. It's near the Strait of Gibraltar. It's this little rocky island. And Spain says the island is in dispute, and Spain says that the two country, Spain and Morocco, agreed decades ago to leave it uninhabited until they could figure out what to do with it.

And all of a sudden this little island, which has been forgotten, except, we're told, by some smugglers who occasionally use it, all of a sudden it's jumped into international news -- back to you. CALLAWAY: This is just a fascinating story to me, Al.

First of all, the name of this island, what is it? Is it Perejil? I'm guessing on how to pronounce it. And it looks incredibly small. How long is it?

GOODMAN: The Spanish name for the island, Perejil, which means parsley, and parsley is said to grow there and a few goats are said to graze there. We are told it's the size of about a couple football fields. In fact, as Spain has, Spain has been saying in recent days that they wanted a diplomatic solution to this. They brought in their partners from the European Union. Spain is a member of that organization. They brought in their partners from NATO. Spain is a member of that organization.

Both those leaned on Morocco diplomatically and said get off the island. What are you doing there?

Well, some of the Spanish military boats that were sent down there, warships, to beef up the Spanish presence in the area, apparently are longer than the island itself. So it's a very unusual story that we're hearing.

CALLAWAY: Yes, it is. You know, and other than a parsley crop, what in the world would they use the island for? Or is it just a turf battle?

GOODMAN: Clearly there's a turf battle. There are a lot of brewing issues between Morocco and Spain that date back decades. Now, the Moroccans when they took the island and said they were going to stay on the island, and their position was hardening and not softening during the recent days since they took it over last week, they said they wanted to set up a little base there to handle, you know, to better the fight against terrorism and smuggling of illegal immigrants and also drugs.

CALLAWAY: Right.

GOODMAN: But what may be at the root of this, analysts are saying, is that Spain continues to hold and occupy several little parcels of territory along what Morocco considers to be its north coast. There are two Spanish cities nearby. One of them has about 75,000 people and the other about 60,000 people. There are Spanish troops there. And there are these little rocky outcroppings that Spain has troops on.

Now, Morocco says this little uninhabited island had nothing to do with those others, but not many analysts believe that story.

CALLAWAY: Yes, maybe, it's the give an inch, give a mile thing.

Well, Al Goodman, thank you very much for keeping us up to date on this story. I'm sure we will be back with you very soon for an update.

Thanks, Al. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com