Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Bahrain side with Morocco in dispute with Spain
Regional-Morocco, Politics, 7/20/2002

The United Arab Emirates has expressed support to Morocco in the dispute with Spain over the Moroccan Taoura/Leila islet.

A spokesman for the UAE government said in a statement carried by the UAE news agency WAM that "the state of the United Arab Emirates affirms its backing to Morocco and sides with the kingdom in its demand for the withdrawal of Spanish forces from the Moroccan Leila islet."

The UAE calls Spain which is bound by historical and close friendship ties to the Arab states in general and to Morocco in particular to settle the dispute with the kingdom of Morocco through peaceful means, said the spokesman.

Saudi Arabia has voiced backing to Morocco for the recovery of its occupied territories and the preservation of its territorial integrity, reported Thursday the Saudi news agency SPA.

"The Saudi cabinet is following with keen interest the developments of the situation between the brotherly kingdom of Morocco and Spain," an official from the Saudi ministry of foreign affairs was quoted by SPA as saying.

The Saudi government deplores Spain's resort to force at a time efforts were being made to find a peaceful way out to the issue, said the official.

Meantime, King Mohammed VI received this Friday at the royal palace in Rabat, Sheikh Abdellah Ben Hamad Al-Khalifa, son of the king of Bahrain and governor of the southern region.

Sheikh Abdallah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa extended to the sovereign his congratulations on his marriage and handed him a message expressing the backing of Bahrain, King, government and people to brotherly Morocco and to its sovereignty over the whole Moroccan territory, reported the Bahraini news agency.

Sheikh Abdallah, who arrived in Morocco Thursday, called the Spanish government to restore the statu quo ante on the islet so that relations between the two countries be not harmed and strained and to peacefully settle this dispute far from any military escalation, on the basis of international law, said the agency.

Sheikh Abdallah underlined the need to multiply "laudable efforts to settle the dispute between the brotherly kingdom of Morocco and Spain through peaceful and diplomatic means, in order to preserve neighborliness relations and shared interests of the two neighbor countries as well as stability and security in the region," went on the Bahraini agency.

Previous Stories:
  Historical proofs evidence Leila islet is Moroccan, researcher   (7/19/2002)
  'Status quo' referred to by Spain is not mentioned anywhere, Says Journalist Zakia Daoud   (7/19/2002)
  Moroccans protest Spain's invasion of Moroccan islet   (7/19/2002)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search