Spanish war vessels to protect possessions after island takeove

MADRID, Spain -- Spain sent three war vessels to protect two Spanish enclaves on the Moroccan coast as its southern Mediterranean neighbor occupied a tiny, uninhabited Spanish islet for a third day Saturday.

A frigate arrived in Ceuta and two corvettes arrived in Melilla, two Spanish city enclaves along Morocco's northern coast, Defense Minister Federico Trillo told Spanish National Radio.

Another corvette and a submarine were on their way to the zone, news reports said.

The ships were sent after 12 Moroccan soldiers landed Thursday on Perejil island, a barren rock just off the Moroccan coast that Spain says it has controlled since the 17th century. The Moroccans planted their country's flag.

Spain sent a letter of protest to the Moroccan embassy in Madrid but has not yet received a formal response.

Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar maintained permanent contact with Trillo, his deputy, Mariano Rajoy, and Foreign Minister Ana Palacio to monitor the situation, a government spokesman said.

The incident worsened the countries' relations, which already were sour after Morocco unexpectedly withdrew its ambassador to Madrid last October without any explanation.

Meanwhile, Palacio said she telephoned her Moroccan counterpart, Mohamed Benaissa, on Friday attempting to resolve the situation through diplomacy.

Palacio upheld the government's claim that the landing was an unfriendly act, but said it would be exaggeration to call it an invasion.

"The truth is there was a Spanish presence on this islet up to 40 years ago," Palacio told ABC daily. "Since then there hasn't been anybody and what Morocco has done is break the status quo and Spain is trying restore it, because on that island there's been no presence, not even symbolic, on either Spain's or Morocco's behalf."

The incident came as Morocco on Friday began several days of celebrations for King Mohamed VI's wedding. The ceremony was boycotted by Spain.

Morocco insists it has had authority over Perejil since it gained independence in 1956. It claims to want the rock for use in fighting terrorism and illegal immigrant trafficking in the area.

Spain's reaction "has surprised us a lot," Morocco government spokesman Mohammed Achaari told Spain's El Pais daily. "It's disproportionate."

Spain believes Morocco is upset by Madrid's insistence that a long-delayed, United Nations-backed, self-determination referendum be held on the Western Sahara, a territory formerly controlled by Spain but annexed by Morocco in the mid-1970s.

The two countries also have had disputes over fishing and illegal immigration to Spain.

Deputy premier Rajoy on Friday warned the Moroccan government in Rabat to consider that Morocco was the biggest recipient of Spanish foreign aid and was a major trading partner.

Morocco frequently has pressed for Spain to turn over control of its enclaves. Spain maintains the cities were Spanish for centuries before Morocco existed as a country.