A Spanish pacifist organization Wednesday voiced strong opposition to a military exercise held by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the Canary Islands.

The naval exercise, code-named "Noble Javelin 05," was launched on April 1 and will last 14 days.

The exercise will turn the islands into a platform used to control African countries, the Canary Organization for Peace and Solidarity said in a statement.

"NATO is not a group for peace. The latest barbarity in Iraq was carried out by NATO armed forces," said the non-governmental organization.

The group said the military drills will also pose an environmental threat to the sea, the atmosphere and the Canary region.

Source: Xinhua