Spain pulls out after island deal

Spanish soldiers load equipment onto a military helicopter as they withdraw from Perejil Island

MADRID, Spain -- Spain and Morocco are due to hold high-level talks on Monday in an attempt to shore up relations following the departure of Spanish troops from a disputed Mediterranean island.

Newly appointed Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio is set to meet her Moroccan counterpart Mohamed Benaissa in the north African country's capital Rabat to discuss the settlement over the island of Perejil.

Spanish troops began lowering the national flag at 10 p.m. on Saturday evening after intense diplomatic activity by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

He made about 30 phone calls to Palacio and Morocco's King Mohammed VI as well as the foreign ministers of the two countries during the past few days after being called in to help.

The 75 elite Spanish commandoes, who had expelled a small contingent of Moroccan troops who had landed 10 days ago, were removed by helicopter from the small island just hours after the deal was agreed.

The operation, watched by some Moroccan residents, was completed in just 90 minutes.

EXTRA INFORMATION Disputed island: Facts    RESOURCES Map of disputed island    CNN NewsPass VIDEO Spanish troops leave an island off the coast of Morocco (July 21) Play video    QUICKVOTE Who should own tiny uninhabited Perejil Island? Spain Morocco Joint View Results

A statement from the Spanish government's office was released shortly before the troops were withdrawn. "Spain and Morocco have reached an agreement over Perejil Island that means a return to the status quo," it said.

"The government of Spain thanks the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, for the work undertaken to facilitate this agreement."

The substance of the deal, according to a statement made by Powell on Saturday, is that "in accordance with this understanding, the two sides have agreed to restore the situation regarding the island that existed prior to July 2002."

The statement added: "We believe this understanding is in the interests of both countries, and can serve as the basis for further steps in improving their bilateral relations."

Spain and Morocco both claim the island, called Perejil by Spain, and Leila by Morocco, as their own and have enjoyed joint use of it.

It lies about 200 yards off Morocco's northern coast in the Mediterranean near the Strait of Gibraltar and is used mainly to graze goats, though it is believed to be a haven for drugs smugglers.

Spanish soldiers lower a pole with the Spanish flag as they prepare to leave Perejil Island

Morocco claims Perejil as part of its territory, but Madrid says the island is Spanish and that the two countries had agreed years ago to leave it uninhabited. (Island Facts)

The two countries do not only have differing claims over Perejil. Morocco also has designs on the Spanish north African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Spain has consistently said are not up for negotiation.

They have also squabbled over immigration, fishing rights, oil exploration and the future of Western Sahara.

The left-leaning El Pais Spanish newspaper said in an editorial: "Finally diplomacy saved an absurd situation, of the same kind as the errors on both sides in the past few months, and in which policy on the Spanish side has not been what we might expect from a country that brags of its weight on the international stage."

The right-wing daily ABC stressed the importance of normalising relations. It said: "The solution agreed should serve as a basis for future steps which contribute to re-establishing relations, the deterioration of which did not benefit anyone."

Morocco's official MAP news agency, which usually reflects the government's views, hailed the deal as a victory and added the accord put an end to the "Spanish occupation" of the islet.