EU has not taken any position on status of Leila islet

The European Union has not taken any position on the legal status of the Leila islet which was invaded on Wednesday by Spanish forces, said in Brussels Friday spokesman for the European Commission, Jonathan Faull.

The spokesman made the statement in an answer to reporters who criticized the commission's incoherent remark that Morocco's surveillance post on the islet is a violation of Spanish territorial integrity.

This is not an EC position on the legal status, he insisted, before stressing that submitting the case to the Hague court should be decided by Morocco and Spain.

He went on that the commission only reproduced the Spanish position and tried to be understanding regarding a member country in a difficult situation.

After he insisted on the importance of relations between Morocco and the EU, he said the commission is sorry that the dispute is clouding these ties. He went on that international law offers several possibilities to peacefully settle the dispute and cited favorable signs from Morocco.