MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Britain protests 'provocative' incursion in Gibraltar waters by Spanish corvette
The Spanish corvette Infanta Elena also sailed close to Gibraltar on Wednesday with weapons uncovered 
“We have today protested this incursion directly to the Spanish authorities, on both diplomatic and military channels,” a spokesman for the Foreign Office said. Britain has protested to Spain after a Spanish warship “manoeuvred dangerously” during an incursion into British Gibraltar territorial waters, risking collision with a Royal Navy patrol boat.
The Spanish corvette Infanta Elena also sailed close to Gibraltar on Wednesday with weapons uncovered, in a move that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said could be seen as “provocative”.
“We have today protested this incursion directly to the Spanish authorities – on both diplomatic and military channels,” a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.
“We have made clear that the dangerous behaviour was unacceptable and that the weapons being uncovered could be perceived as provocative. We have asked for an explanation.”
According to the British Government, the actions of the Infanta Elena constituted a breach of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The UK has protested to the Spanish Government on that basis.
“Although incursions by Spanish State vessels are a violation of sovereignty, they are not a threat to it and do not weaken or undermine the international legal basis for UK sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters,” the FCO spokesman added.
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Read all commentsPretty standard behaviour from our childish, tantrum-throwing neighbour. Their argument is that Gibraltar has no territorial waters, but the following exchange in the Cortes in Dec 2013 is enlightening:
Feb 26th, 2016 - 08:46 am 0MP: So the waters around Gibraltar are Spanish?
Margallo: Yes, definitely
MP: Will we be taking this claim to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea?
Margallo: No.
MP: Why not?
Margallo: It would be extremely difficult to win that case and is not in Spanish interests to do so.
So - the Spanish Govt knows the waters are British; but continue to act like pirates. Ridiculous behaviour from a supposedly grown-up 'ally'.
@ 1
Feb 26th, 2016 - 10:54 am 0“Ridiculous behaviour from a supposedly grown-up 'ally' ”
Agree. I hope Spain stops for once and starts behaving accordingly. Spain has nothing to win here and lots to lose.
A smile and a gesture here to get this issue settled for once would be way more useful and even lucrative for Spain than this childish approach.
The conquistadors will continue with this bogus claim, they don't operate a proper democracy, their government and royal family are neck deep in corruption allegations, the whole country is steeped in unpayable debt, unemployment is rife...in the face of all this Gibraltar is a useful distraction...and it will remain so until the British government actually do something other than merely complain to the conquistadors (fat chance)
Feb 26th, 2016 - 11:05 am 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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