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Old Dog
Capellan Confederation
Sang-wei
Joined: 24-May-2002 00:00
Posts: 299
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 Posted: 19-Jul-2002 10:16 Post subject: The Great Parsley War |
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Well, this one's for Vampire, really.
Teh Island of Parsley. Taken by Morocco, retaken by teh Spanish, ultimately owned by a couple dozen goats that graze there. Does anyone think that this is just a baaaad idea to start swatting heads over?
Best to leave it for the goats, you know?
Thoughts?
-- Old Dog, confusing canine.
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Cadet
ComStar
Lieutenant, SG
Joined: 17-Mar-2002 00:00
Posts: 495
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| Posted: 19-Jul-2002 10:27 Post subject: The Great Parsley War |
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It's at a maritime chokepoint which makes it have strategic value. So yes, there is an excellent case for a country taking it by force of arms if necessary.
Same reason Maggie Thatcher whipped the Arggies in '81.
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I'm not family friendly. That's why I don't post here.
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Vampire
Free Worlds League
Lieutenant Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 912
Location: Spain
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| Posted: 19-Jul-2002 12:13 Post subject: The Great Parsley War |
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*laughs* Well, I was not going to comment on it because it's just a border incident that only deserves two lines in the inner pages of the newspaper, it's that insignificant. It's not worth all the fuss and the media coverage is disproportionate. Talk about making mountains out of molehills! However the Moroccan regime has raised a racket over it for internal consumption reasons and because Mohammed VI the king of Morocco ( successor to Hassan II that died three years ago, dubbed "His Majeski" by his fondness for skiing in the Alps and indulging in other pastimes instead of tending to state's matters), autocrat and absolute dictator of the country it's a spoiled brat bent on provocations just to make himself look mighty and important (wich certainly he isn't) in much the same way that buffoon of Castro exploits confrontation with the US.
And the Spanish media have spilled rivers of ink about it because it's summertime, there are no news, and they need to sell newspapers. It's just that politicos and journalist love to hear themselves talking.
This episode about that rock is ludicrously insignificant, hell, I didn't even know we had that rock, and I did my military service in Melilla with the Spanish Legion and know that besides the cities of Ceuta and Melilla we also hold a few small islands off the African coast.
But you have to take things into context, Isla Perejil (Parsley Island) it's a worthless rock, not even goats there, just crabs and snakes, it has no value, not even strategic value of any sort, but it's the tip of the iceberg. If you want me to write the geopolitical and strategic context, say so, it will take a lot of writing.
Summing it up:
DISCLAIMER: These comments are directed at certain comments in some media. Not at you or anybody interested in the matter that is curious and has no knowledge of the subject.
1. The rest of the world including NATO said it was an issue that concerns only Spain and Morocco.
So to all the foreign pundits and commentators: Go **** yourselves off, mind your own business and leave us alone. Is this rude? Yes, but I think it's the proper response to the idiocy one has read in some international media, like the Financial Times.
2. The Moroccans started. Unjustifiable provocation and a violation of the friendship treaty they signed back in 1991. Legitimate self defense and retaking of a part of national territory occupied by foreign troops. Would France, Britain of the US reacted differently in our place? Then shut up already. Hey, there has not been even a shot fired, and frankly, I thought the display of force used to retake the island was way overboard, it would have sufficed to send a dozen Guardia Civil police, no need to call the military. Though it probably is meant as a show of force to remind the Moroccans of their place.
3. The Moroccan regime is a corrupt medieval autocracy headed by a fool that deserves little sympathy and its economy its heavily dependent from Spain and the European Union. In any conflict they wish to start, they have everything to lose.
4. It's all a clownish act, a farce, but one that masks darker intentions, the Moroccan leadership wanted to test with this provocation our reaction. They thought we would show weakness not firmness, and that would embolden them to carrying out further acts of aggression targetted at other Spanish possesions. Perejil is not worth anything, if they want it, I would give them to it wrapped in gift paper if they had asked nicely. However, if they got away with this, tomorrow they would attack Ceuta and Melilla, not because they have any claim on them, these cities and the other island are as Spanish as the Channel Islands are English, as a an aside, if the English hadn't lost Calais in the 16th century by pure incompetence, chances are that today it would be a city as British as Dover. Like I was saying, Morocco has no territorial claims on the Spanish sovereignity over those enclaves in the coast, a fact that it has been recognized by the United Nations.
They just want to "wag the dog" to distract the population from the economical troubles of the country and the lack of liberties and the overall stagnation and official corruption and to play the nationalistic card to counter the rising islamic fundamentalist feelings. But this wont work because the general population is apathetic about it and struggling with poverty and because those that are well off and informed have no issue with Spain and know well than Ceuta and Melilla and else have never been Moroccan.
5.- The general feeling in Spain is one of supreme confidence out of having the legitimacy and of holding the higher moral ground, and being fed up with the repeated Moroccan provocations, enough is enough. It's not a smart thing to bite the hand that feeds you. Morocco needs Spain, Sapin doesn't need Morocco. No one wants a war, but if the Moroccans want to make our day so be it.
Well, I ended writing up more than I thought, but that's basically the gist of it. There are other things I might add, that Morocco is in conflict with everyone of its neighbors, besides Spain, with Algeria to the east, Mauritania to the south, and the war against the Sahara insurgency to the south. Basically what has happened is that the king of Morocco is pissed off at the Spanish governement because we have refused to endorse the annexation of the Sahara and have supported the right of the Sahara people to self rule. The Sahara was a Spanish colony that we abandoned rushedly to its fate in 1975, never mind that the Saharan people were so stupid as to fight against their only friend, us, but that's story, like I said it was abandoned in a moment of internal weakness as Franco was agonizing and was invaded by Morocco. The Saharan people have been fighting a guerrilla war against Morocco ever since wich has tried to quell the revolt with brutal methods, making much use for that purposes of the generous US military aid, I might add.
Recently, the US, to win Morocco support in the war against terrorism and have an Arab ally tried to satisfy the dictator by proposing an autonomy plan for the Sahara (the Baker plan, after the former US Secretary of State) wich for all practical purposes is legitimating the annexation of the Sahara to Morocco, backed in the UN by France, the French president wants to be "the parsley of all sauces" as we say, and he doesn't lose a chance of meddling in the Magreb and befriending his pal the king (Morocco until 1956 was moslty a French colony, with the northern third of the territory being a Spanish colony) because of the French interests at stake, and unsurprisingly also backed by the British toadies and yesmen.
The Spanish government, showing for once some spine, refused to violate its commintments and take part in that dishonorable deal, and vetoed the plan, much to the embarrasment of the above listed countries, and earning the wrath of the Moroccan king that it has its dreams of fullfilling the conquest started by his father thwarted.
But its there anything worth fighting over in the Sahara? you might ask. It's not just desert? Yes, but it has mineral reaches, large deposits of phosphates, for making fertilizer, rich fishing banks offshore, and possible pockets of gas and oil. Enough to give the Sahara people a fairly decent standard of living, and a very appetizing prize for Morocco ruling caste, that controls most of the wealth of the country.
Mohammed VI bluff has been called, and it's satisfying to see that US Secretary of State Colin Powell is beginnning to see that supporting Morocco petty dictator is not worth it. His father, the tyrant Hassan II was a useful tool in its day to check communist expansion in the Magreb, but since the Cold War ended, Morocco strategic value has diminished, and that the clown that sits on the throne now it's not a reliable partner. Since he has failed to live up to its promises of reform, and is becoming a bad copy of its father, but without his cunning, skill and luck, Morocco situation is bound to worsen. With luck, he will be ousted and replaced by somebody more capable of the royal family.
Boy, do I ramble on, well, politics is just complex  If you haven't fallen asleep reading this, then you may have found it an interesting read.
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Memento audare semper
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Ronin
ComStar
Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 908
Location: United States
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| Posted: 19-Jul-2002 12:36 Post subject: The Great Parsley War |
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The news reports that I have read state that official ownership of the island in question was never specifically defined in any treaty between Spain and Morrocco, so Morrocco is only establishing their claim to the island.
Not that I believe everything in the news, mind you. To my understanding, Spain is justified in her actions, plain and simple.
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Vampire
Free Worlds League
Lieutenant Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 912
Location: Spain
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| Posted: 19-Jul-2002 13:10 Post subject: The Great Parsley War |
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Quote:
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On 2002-07-19 12:36, Ronin wrote:
The news reports that I have read state that official ownership of the island in question was never specifically defined in any treaty between Spain and Morrocco, so Morrocco is only establishing their claim to the island.
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Wich source? Never mind. That rock was attached to Ceuta, and when Spain withdrew from Morocco in 1956 its sovereignity was never disputed, there was just an agreeement to leave it as sort of "neutral" ground, not placing any forces on it like saying "it's okay, it's ours, but just to make you happy we we will not put the flag on it" and finally, if the rock is only 200 meters away from the coast of Morocco, and they have never claimed them before, it's because it isn't theirs, plain and simple. If they had any real claim to it, they should have made it long ago. That they didn't is because it doesn't exist.
Regardless, what's at stake here is not the island itself, but a principle.
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Memento audare semper
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