What's Behind International Land Grabs?

ByABC News
July 22, 2002, 4:28 PM

July 24 -- Two nations, each with populations of more than 30 million people and each possessing multibillion-dollar economies, are at odds over a rock in the ocean.

The land grab is between Spain and Morocco, but the territorial dispute could just as easily be between several other major countries. India and Pakistan, China and Japan, Greece and Turkey each are involved in a complex dispute over their territories and borders.

"Sovereignty issues are notoriously difficult to resolve," said Bernard Oxman, a professor of international law at the University of Miami (Fla.). "It's always hard, but not impossible, to get a country to relinquish territory."

Most often, these long running, claim-jumping disputes aren't about the land, but what's beneath it: fish, minerals and oil. But in others, such as last week's flare-up between Spain and Morocco, the tangle boils down to the age-old forces of wealth and hubris.

Specks in the Sea

To Spain, the disputed island off the northern coast of Morocco is called Perejil. To Morocco, it's Leila. Spain has held title to the island for more than three centuries, but hasn't occupied the land in 40 years. In that time, the island's caves have been a hideout for illegal immigrants sneaking into Spain from Morocco.

"It's worthless territory," said Martin Pratt, an executive officer at the International Boundaries Research Unit in Durham, England. "These fights often are just in the foreground, with larger animosities in the background."

The conflict dates back to 1956 when Morocco gained its independence from France. Since then, Moroccans have demanded that Spain hand over all of its protectorates on Morocco's northern coast, including the island of Perejil.

The incident has parallels to a 1996 dispute between Greece and Turkey over the Kardak Rocks, a cluster of inhabited islands about four miles off the coast of Greece. Maritime boundaries in the Aegean Sea have always been a sticking point for the two countries, so when Greece declared its ownership of the land, the two nations nearly went to war. In the end, both did little more than exchange harsh words.