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Spain sends armed Guardia Civil officers to support fishermen's attempted law-breaking, says Gibraltar government
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The decision, last night, to once again send armed seaborne Guardia Civil officers to support attempted law-breaking by fishermen based in Algeciras serves to illustrate that for some people in Spain the issue of fishing is irrelevant and only an excuse to try to assert control over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters in a blatant challenge to British Sovereignty, said a Gibraltar government statement.
Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar considers such invasions of British Territory by armed paramilitary forces of Spain to be of the upmost seriousness and requires a response that reflects the escalation which the Spanish Government has either sought or allowed in respect of the Sovereign territory of a NATO and EU ally.
HM Government of Gibraltar reiterates its belief that through dialogue and co-operation all matters and issues can be resolved within the framework of compliance with Gibraltar law.
In this respect, today’s statement by Ms Saenz de Santa Maria, Vice President of the Spanish Government, in a press conference, after the Council of Ministers, suggesting tha the matter should be settled between Gibraltar and the Cofradias is to be welcomed. This is in keeping with the approach already taken by HM Government of Gibraltar and the La Linea Cofradia.
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said “I am the fifth Chief Minister of Gibraltar to challenge Spain to litigation on the issue of the territorial waters around Gibraltar. Instead of accepting our successive challenges to resolve matters in an International Court, some elements in Spain continue to risk the lives of those at sea by seeking to advance its position in the waters around Gibraltar. The issues that relate to observance of our Nature Protection Act can certainly be resolved in keeping with Gibraltar law, as we are already embarked on doing with La Linea Cofradia. The needless provocations at sea must, nonetheless, stop.”
25.05.2012
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