MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Gibraltar: Breaking News

Headlines:
Spanish irritation with Tony Blair; BBC making documentary on IRA shootings.

Spanish irritation with Tony Blair.

Nuclear submarine HMS Tireless recent visit to Gibraltar was the most irritating event for Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in the first 100 days of office, he told journalists this weekend. "I would have wished that HMS Tireless had not visited Gibraltar, and although it only was there a few days I would have preferred to not to have arrived at all." The Socialist Spanish president also revealed that his least fluid relations have been with British Primer Minister Tony Blair, not only because of the Tireless visit but the Gibraltar tercentenary celebrations and the visit by the Princess Royal. Spain traditionally describes Gibraltar as a stone in Spain's shoe.

BBC making documentary on IRA shootings.

A team from the BBC is in Gibraltar working on a drama documentary based on the IRA shootings in the Rock in 1988 by a British SAS team. Headed by Gibraltar born BBC journalist, Helen Wade, the team have been trying to talk to as many people as possible who were involved in the case, in order to gather sufficient material for scriptwriters in London to turn it into a film. The project will be written and directed by Alex Holmes, whose recent credits include the BBC's acclaimed drama documentary on Dunkirk, and is expected to go into production next autumn. Alex Holmes, Helen Wade and Assistant Producer Laura Craig Gray have been in Gibraltar and Spain checking out some of the locations during this week's fact-finding trip. Helen Wade told the Gibraltar Chronicle, "this is not a news documentary or a factual investigation into the IRA shootings; this will be a drama based on the events that led up to those shootings. We're talking to police and security officials in Britain and Spain and of course, we hope to get the co-operation of the Gibraltar police to ensure that all the details that go into the script are 100% accurate". Some of those involved in the incident are understandably reluctant to talk about their memories of the IRA shootings, as it proved to be such a controversial, political story at the time. However, the BBC is keen to stress that they are not here to draw any conclusions as to how the operation was carried out, or to make any judgments on the actions of those involved at any stage. "We also have to flesh out the color of the story in order to film and recreate scenes accurately, we'll have to cast actors to play some of the key roles and ensure locations look and feel the same as they were in real life", says Ms. Wade adding, "we're talking to people on a confidential, off-the-record basis, so they can tell us simply what their memories of that day, 6th March 1988 were, and we're interested in the security surveillance operation that led up to the shootings. We need to know what sort of clothes people were wearing, what the weather was like, what sort of vehicles were used, anything that will help us to paint the picture correctly. The last thing the BBC wants is for people to watch the film and then exclaim "they've got it all wrong, it was nothing like that!"