The conflict over the waters surrounding Gibraltar flared up again at the end of last week as the British and Spanish governments called in the respective ambassadors to make diplomatic protests in the light of recent incidents.
The British Foreign Office expressed its concerns to Spanish ambassador Federico Trillo at “provocative incursions” into “British Gibraltar Territorial Waters” on Tuesday last week, first by a Spanish naval ship and later by a Spanish customs vessel that “sought to apprehend a Gibraltarian civilian boat forcing the Royal Gibraltar Police to intervene”.
In turn the Spanish government summoned the British ambassador in Madrid to pass on its position regarding the conflict. An embassy official attended the meeting, in the absence of Ambassador Giles Paxman. The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel García-Margallo made it clear that Spanish fishermen would “continue to fish in waters surrounding Gibraltar, where they have always fished, under the protection of the Guardia Civil”.
Spain does not recognise British sovereignty over the waters in question on the grounds that they were not mentioned in the Utrecht Treaty of 1713 when the Rock was ceded to the British Crown.
Read more: Gibraltar waters dispute provokes diplomatic incident. Surinenglish.com
