MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Majority of Spaniards say Gibraltar is and issue of little interest for foreign policy
The survey was done by the prestigious think-tank Instituto Elcano A survey by the leading Spanish think tank Real Instituto Elcano has found that nearly 60% of those polled believe Gibraltar is of little or no importance to Spanish foreign policy.
The survey of 1000 people also found that Spaniards were divided on how their government should handle the row over fishing in Gibraltar waters.
Over 44% of those asked said steps should be taken to reduce the tension, while 10% said more diplomatic pressure should be brought to be on Gibraltar.
The answers were clearly dependent on the political ideology of the respondent.
About half of those on the right of the political spectrum believed Gibraltar was an important issue for Spain’s foreign policy, a percentage that dropped to 32% for those in the centre and 30% for those on the left.
A similar split was evident in questions relating to the fishing dispute, with six out of every 10 rightwing respondents backing a tougher stance, while 51% of those of leftwing conviction wanted less tension at sea.
In the centre ground, 44% of respondents wanted firmer measures against 42% urging a softer approach.
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Read all commentsGood thinking for the 60%. Spain should treat Gibraltar as a neighbouring territory and nothing more. Live and let live.
Jul 09th, 2012 - 01:54 pm 0Bad translation
Jul 09th, 2012 - 02:22 pm 0The people are not interest,
Only the incompetent government, who uses it as a distraction against their own problems,
Just like another country, that we know very well
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Shame for Spain. It encourages fishermen to trespass in another country's territorial waters and undertake activities that would be illegal in its own waters. And it sends the paramilitary thugs of the Guardia Civil with them to “protect” them. From what? The Royal Gibraltar Police coming along and telling them to go back to their own waters? Or to “protect” them from getting arrested? And how does Spain justify these illegal activities? Gibraltar has no territorial waters, it says. Not mentioned in the treaty, it says. So the waters are Spanish, it says. Conveniently forgetting to mention that nowhere had any “territorial waters” as understood nowadays. Let's go to the ICJ, says Gibraltar. Spain ignores that. Just like a certain other country. And for the same reason. Spain knows it would lose!! Just like that certain other country.
Jul 09th, 2012 - 03:54 pm 0“It's the precious.” “they” say. Too right it is. But not “their” precious. Those “territories” belong to Britain and to the people that live there. There is no conceivable way in which Spain, or that other country, can LEGALLY claim what they do claim. Perhaps the right place to settle these matters is not the ICJ but the International Criminal Court. Unfortunately, the ICC would need an increase in the scope of its jurisdiction. But maybe, come 2017, we can get them both for the crime of aggression.
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