An historic visit by the Spanish King to two enclaves on the Moroccan coast will go ahead today, despite triggering an embarrassing diplomatic row between the two nations.

After details emerged of the two-day visit to Ceuta and Melilla, Rabat expressed “strong rejection and clear disapproval”. Both towns have been under Spanish control since the 15th and 16th centuries, but are claimed by Morocco as its territory.

Khalid Naciri, a Moroccan government spokesman, described both enclaves as “two despoiled Moroccan towns”. He added: “The Government can only express strong rejection and clear disapproval of this regrettable initiative, whatever the motivations and aims.”

The dispute increased over the weekend with the recall of Omar Azziman, the Moroccan Ambassador to Spain, for an “indeterminate period”.

Morocco’s parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, national defence and Islamic affairs said that its members would stage a protest today outside the Spanish Embassy in Rabat over the visit. But José Luis RodrÍguez Zapatero, the Prime Minister of Spain, played down the row yesterday, saying that relations between the two countries were “very good and will continue to be good”.

Spanish leaders have tended to stay away from the two enclaves in an attempt to avoid inflaming political sensitivities. The last Spanish monarch to visit was Juan Carlos’s grandfather, Alfonso XIII, in 1927. A visit by Mr Zapatero to Ceuta and Melilla last year irked Rabat.

Relations had been improving between Madrid and Rabat since 2002, when the two nations declared “war” after Morocco sent troops to reclaim the tiny uninhabited island of Perejil, which is in the Strait of Gibraltar near Ceuta, and is Spanish territory. Spanish troops were deployed to oust Moroccan forces.

Spain defended the visit of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, saying “it was an institutional visit to two Spanish cities that are part of internal politics”. The Spanish Foreign Ministry said: “Spain and Morocco have excellent relations, there are no problems and they cooperate in all fields.”

Ceuta and Melilla are the only two Spanish regions that King Juan Carlos has not visited in his 32-year reign. The tiny enclaves are Spain’s only remaining African territories, both having been under its control for 500 years. In an interview withPúblico, the Spanish daily newspaper, Mr Zapatero added: “The monarchs are going to demonstrate their attachment to the citizens of Melilla and Ceuta.” Juan José Imbroda, president of Melilla, said that Morocco’s attitude “was not going to overshadow” the Royal visit. “This is a totally Spanish act, within the Spanish nation, with the sovereignty of Spain, and which only affects Spaniards,” he added.

Juan Jesús Vivas, the conservative president of Ceuta, expressed similar views, saying that Rabat’s reaction “will not alter the sense of satisfaction” of ordinary people at the arrival of the Spanish King.

The right-wing daily El Mundo said in an editorial: “The presence of the King will reaffirm Spanish sovereignty over the two autonomous territories.”

Despite differences over Ceuta and Melilla, Madrid and Rabat have found common ground recently over economic ties.

In recent years both enclaves have been at the centre of attempts by illegal immigrants from Morocco and other African countries to enter Spain before heading to other European countries, including Britain.

In 2005 a number of illegal immigrants were shot by police during a series of increasingly desperate mass assaults on the frontier defences in Ceuta and Melilla.

This forced Spain and Morocco to agree to deploy extra troops to try to secure the borders, which in turn has led African migrants to change their route to Europe. Thousands now make the precarious journey in small boats from West Africa to the Canary Islands.

But both enclaves are still bases for people traffickers. Security forces have also claimed that – with their large Muslim populations – the slum areas of Melilla and Ceuta have become hotbeds of Islamic radicalism.

The visit comes after a call from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda number two, for jihad against United States, French and Spanish interests in North Africa.

Remnants of history

1497 Spanish take coastal enclave of Melilla

1580 They occupy enclave of Ceuta, which becomes a centre for African-European trade

1912 Treaty of Fez forces Sultan of Morocco to accept a French protectorate in the main part of the country and a Spanish protectorate in the north and extreme south

1956 Morocco gains independence but Spain keeps enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla

1986 Ceuta and Melilla considered Spanish cities and European territory, join EU as part of Spain

1995 Gain local autonomy, with their own governments returning deputies and senators to the Spanish Parliament in Madrid

2005 Spain and Morocco agree to deploy extra troops to secure borders against illegal immigrants

Sources: news agencies, countrystudies.us

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