Suitors squabble again over Leila

If Leila is one of the most widespread female names in the Arab world, there is an explanation for that. Leila was the beloved of Qais the Errant. One of the greatest Arab poets ever, he met her while she was a teenager and they fell madly in love.

However, she was forced, as was the custom, to wed her cousin. Qais couldn't bear her loss; he died roaming in the desert immortalising Leila's beauty and innocence in a very romantic way. And because of Leila, relations have been deteriorating between Morocco and Spain.

But in this case, Leila is an inhabited islet barely the size of a football field facing the Straits of Gibraltar and is the subject of a centuries-old contentious debate between both countries.

Morocco has sent its troops to Leila. Known as Perejil in Spain, it has caused a stern reaction in Madrid which has accused Morocco of invading Spanish territory and has called for an immediate withdrawal.

Morocco's minister of culture and communication called on Spain not to "exaggerate Morocco's setting up of a surveillance post on the islet."

Justifying his country's move, Mohammed Al Achaari added it was meant to "improve the fight against the flaws of illegal migration and activities of international terrorism."

Outraged, and not willing to compromise, Spain sent three patrol boats to watch the situation and then dispatched warships to its enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on Moroccan coast. Fears of an armed confrontation are looming large.

Why would a piece of rock in the sea spark such a diplomatic rift between Morocco and Spain? The answer lies deep in a long history of strained relations between both countries.

The dispute dates back to the 16th century when the Moroccan cities of Ceuta and Melilla were annexed by Spain. Disagree-ment between Morocco and Spain led to the 1859-60 war which ended with Spain seizing more territory.

During the period of the Spanish protectorate over the far north of Morocco (1912-56), Ceuta served as the Spanish military and administrative headquarters.

When Morocco gained independence in 1956, Spain retained Ceuta and Melilla (together with the islets associated with them). Morocco has repeatedly demanded that the enclaves be transferred to Rabat, but Spain has kept Ceuta and Melilla maintaining a strong military presence.

Spain, which lost Gibraltar to Britain, sticks to the enclaves, which assume strategic importance. In 1995, the Spanish government accorded the cities the status of autonomous regions.

Aware of the difficulty of the challenge, Morocco rejects force as a means to achieve its objectives. Instead, it has always sought to resolve the issue through dialogue and increasing cooperation with Spain.

The recent military stand-off signals a need to solve a long running dispute. In fact, Morocco and Spain seem to disagree about everything. They occasionally point the finger at each other over the issues of fishing, drug-trafficking, illegal migration, Western Sahara.

Moroccan media rallied behind its government and urged Spain to depart from Moroccan lands. Columnists in Spanish newspapers scoffed at Morocco's move and saw in it an "invasion planned in advance."

Diplomatic spats over many issues triggered reactions and counter-reactions.

Last September Spain criticised Morocco for "not doing enough to control the hundreds of migrants entering Europe illegally." A few days later, the King Mohammed VI hit back. In an interview to the French newspaper Le Figaro, he accused mafia gangs in Spain of playing the biggest role in the trafficking of humans.

The crisis reached its climax in October when Rabat recalled its ambassador to Madrid, in a clear sign that future attempts at a thaw would prove difficult.

When Moroccan officials evoked de-colonisation of Ceuta and Melilla, Spain voices the same answer: " We have nothing to discuss." The late king of Morocco Hassan II spent a good part of his reign devising an approach to the conflict and its impact on Moroccan-European relations.

He once said, "Morocco is like a tree deeply rooted in Africa but its branches cast a shadow on Europe." He knew that a quarrel with Spain could deal a blow to Morocco's lucrative partnership with Europe. The newly wed King Mohammed VI has now to cautiously tackle the issue. Leila is at the centre of the stage once again.

Hashem Ahelbarra is an Abu Dhabi Television journalist.