Morocco won't occupy island if Spain leaves

Morocco will not send forces back on to the contested islet of Perejil if Spain withdraws its troops, the Moroccan foreign minister…

Morocco will not send forces back on to the contested islet of Perejil if Spain withdraws its troops, the Moroccan foreign minister said this morning.

"I've already made my promise and I repeat it now publicly: Morocco does not intend to go back to the island once Spanish troops leave it," Mr Mohamed Benaissa said on Madrid radio station Cadena Ser.

Mr Benaissa was due later today to travel to Paris to explain his country's stance on the islet, known as Perejil in Spain and Leila in Morocco.

AFP