The Spanish Government has wanted to repeat its hard line view that all waters surrounding the Rock are Spanish.
Spain has no point at all, they are stuck in the dark ages.
The International Law of the Seas did not exist at the time.
The 'Cannon Shot Rule' would determine territorial control and was considered to be 3 miles.
The fact that the Treaty of Utrecht does not mention the waters outside the port is therefore irrelevant.
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Innocent Passage by Spanish para military in our waters?
Come on UK Government - EU - United Nations - see for yourself!
The Guardia Civil passed the small boat heading North, then turned 180 and headed towards it, before slowing then turning 180 again and heading off on her original tack
Photo by Derek Booth
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Instead of causing lengthy border queues ........
One great defender -
I wrote here recently how Madrid and the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs specifically was attacking the mayor of La Línea, Gemma Araujo, for her
friendship with Gibraltar. In the numerous diatribes against her Margallo and
his henchpeople had accused Araujo of being a hostage to Gibraltar.
Now the brave Araujo, who has daily to confront financial
and social meltdown in the border town, admits yes she and La Línea are
hostages. However they are not hostages to Gibraltar but to Spain’s policies
against the Rock which ironically are hitting our neighbour harder than they
are us.
On Friday the news headlines in the local Spanish media were
that the border queues had returned. The majority of us were unaware they had
ever gone away. I was chatting to some Gibraltarians on Wednesday who said that
if they were crossing in to Spain by car they just accepted there would be a
queue somewhere along the way.
Araujo has blamed this third world border chaos introduced
by Madrid to hit Gibraltar of having a far worse effect on her town. Apart from
the fact that thousands of Spaniards from La Línea are having their daily
journey to and from work disrupted the town’s businesses are being hit badly
too. Gibraltarians, who have the money to spend in La Línea’s shops, bars and
restaurants – whereas many linenses haven’t, are simply staying away because
they don’t want the hassle.
The mayor attacked the Partido Popular Government’s policies
stating: “El tema de la intensificación de las colas me parece brutal” adding
that both the people of La Línea and Gibraltar were being held hostage by the
Spanish State’s policies. Araujo has again gone on the attack because she says
she is not going to be passive whilst the Spanish Government inflicts serious
wounds on its own people, her people.
Araujo insists it is this increasingly disruptive policies
at the border affecting people entering and leaving Gibraltar that is having a
major negative effect over her municipality. La Línea is nearly down and out
thanks to the economic crisis and the misdeeds of previous local Partido
Popular – GIL administrations.
These are not just the mayor’s words or rants. The
Asociación de la Pequeña y Mediana Empresa, Apymell, has been shouting out to
anybody wishing to hear that its members are in deep trouble because of the
lack of Gibraltarian customers.
Last Tuesday I wrote here: “A poor and politically unstable
Andalucía and wider Spain impacts on us in all sorts of ways including the
political. The kneejerk reaction of Partido Popular and other politicians of
the right is to bring Gibraltar down to the Campo’s level and not to raise that
area up to our own. Hence the inexplicable emphasis on attempting to ruin our
economy, which is the powerhouse of the bay zone, at the very time when a
strong Gibraltar offers hope to the unemployed and struggling businesses across
the fence.”
This latter point is perfectly illustrated by the words of
Apymell and Araujo. Madrid’s policies against Gibraltar are biting but not here
where we are well used to such inconveniences but in La Línea which is already
in a state of collapse. The more Madrid strikes at Gibraltar it is not here but
in the border town where they feel the full force
The Editor,
Gibraltar Chronicle.
10th April 2013.
Allow me to ask everybody the following, how brief is brief? If we take the Spanish version they proposed a new format in place of the now defunct Tri-partite agreement, the British version is that Gibraltar was only mentioned, therefore we come to the usual, how long is a piece of string.
I think Sr Rajoy and Spain have only one avenue to follow and at the same time show the World how mature and democratic they are, the road is to take the question of Gibraltar to the ICJ, once and for all and in that august body clearly and unequivocally state that the Treaty of Utrecht overrides the following, a) the UN Charter, b) the UN Convention on the Laws of the Seas, c) the Rights of all Colonial People to self- determination,
d)) the Human Rights Convention e) the UN interpretation as to the correct meaning of territorial integrity and why it was enacted, in fact to prohibit colonies who became Independent to break up, e.g Biafra and Katanga.
However Spain must also explain how she got two territories in exchange for Gibraltar, why they continue to disregard Article vi of Utrecht also Article ii and further explain why the Bourbons are still the Royal Household disregarding the wording contained in the cited article, Article xi as to non- mention of waters and Minorca , also why the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees in regard to the fact that no member of the French Royal Household could ever aspire to the Spanish Throne and last but not least explain why Olivenza which after the violation by them Spain of the stipulations imposed by the Treaty of Badajoz they are still in situ.
To conclude what cannot be allowed to continue is the Spanish attitude towards Morocco by insisting on the existing good relations, so long as Ceuta and Mellila are not for discussion and the FCO’s continuously stating, as an excuse, that both Spain and UK are members of NATO and the EU as the reason why they talk, I feel it would be more honest to play the same card used by Spain, we are good friends, but Gibraltar is not for discussion.
Yours faithfully,
W.L.Chamberland.
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The Blog from Patricio Gonzalez, who was mayor of Algeciras between 1995 to 2003 and who regularly visits the Instituto Cervantes here in Gibraltar for book presentations and other things , entitled ''La Alcaldesa dijo si'' in which he states that the Alcaldesa de La Linea had said yes to the quadripartite
talks.
http://andaluciainformacion.es/patricio-gonzalez/299476/la-alcaldesa-dijo-si/
This person had a different story to tell in his March 2013 bloq entitled ''Ante la duda con los nuestros''
http://andaluciainformacion.es/patricio-gonzalez/293148/ante-la-duda-con-los-nuestros/
So now according to him to Gonzalez it us or them now. Surely this sort of attitude is not one you would associate with a visitor of the Cervantes Instituto that is here in Gibraltar!
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