Morocco, Spain Agree to Discuss Islet

Morocco and Spain agreed to a “frank and sincere dialogue” and will meet again in September to discuss their competing claims to a tiny Mediterranean island that began a nine-day military standoff, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Two days after Spain withdrew its forces, both countries maintained their claims to the island, according to a joint statement released after talks between Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohammed Benaissa and his Spanish counterpart, Ana Palacio.

But both agreed that for now, the uninhabited island will remain as it was before the conflict started: empty.

The ministers’ encounter was the highest-level meeting between the sparring neighbors since Morocco recalled its ambassador from Madrid in October for consultation after a series of what it saw as anti-Morocco attitudes by Spain.

The talks were made possible by the U.S.-coordinated withdrawal of Spanish troops from the island, 200 yards from the Moroccan coast. It is called Leila, or Night, by Morocco and Isla del Perejil, or Parsley Island, by Spain.