Tensions growing off Gibraltar after Royal Navy confronts Spanish warship that had strayed into British waters

 

Thursday, Feb 07 201312AM -1°C3AM-2°C5-Day Forecast

Tensions growing off Gibraltar after Royal Navy confronts Spanish warship that had strayed into British waters

• Vessel was spotted cruising irregularly and warned to leave
• Foreign Office launches diplomatic protest with Madrid over the incursion

By Mark Howarth

PUBLISHED:16:30 EST, 6 February 2013| UPDATED:02:33 EST, 7 February 2013

A Spanish warship has been confronted by the Royal Navy near Gibraltar amid growing tensions around the UK outpost.

The armed patrol vessel, which typically carries special forces and marines, was spotted cruising irregularly and warned repeatedly to leave British waters.

Last night, the Foreign Office lodged a diplomatic protest with Madrid over the most serious episode of sabre-rattling off the Rock in half a century.

Rattling the sabre: The Spanish warship Tornado, pictured, entered British waters near Gibraltar for 20 minutes where it was confronted by the Navy and asked to leave (file image)

There are fears that the Spanish government is seeking to ramp up tensions to deflect attention away from domestic problems threatening to engulf Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Prominent Gibraltar barrister Charles Gomez said: 'There has not been an incursion such as this since the mid-1960s when General Franco ruled Spain.

'The current situation is very similar to that recently involving the Falkland Islands where an unpopular government in Argentina has seen a territorial dispute as the best way to bury bad news at home.

'However, the major difference is that Spain is supposed to be an ally within NATO and a partner in the European Union.

William Dartmouth, UKIP MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, urged the Government to draw a line in the sand following the latest incursion

'Gibraltar remains staunchly British and loyal but the worry among many people here is that unless London becomes more active in protecting its interests, matters will soon escalate into an armed incident.

'All vessels have the right to innocent passage across British waters but they cannot stop without good reason and they cannot patrol the waters as if they belong to them.”

The warship Tornado is a 94-metre-long vessel which dwarfs both the Royal Navy’s light craft based at Gibraltar.

In last Saturday’s incident, she spent 20 minutes in British waters and was sent repeated radio warnings to leave immediately.

Locals are furious at a string of recent minor incursions featuring Spanish police motor boats interfering with pleasure craft and protecting fishermen using illegal practices.

The incidents led to a 10,000-strong petition last November calling for the British Government to take a firmer line with Madrid.

However, it is unprecedented in modern times for such a large military vessel to assert itself off the Gibraltar coast.

Further tensions on the Rock have been aroused by the European Court of Justice which last year upheld a Brussels decision to designate an area of British waters a Spanish natural conservation site.

It was later revealed that one of the three judges who made the ruling was formerly Spain’s chief legal officer.

Furious: Locals on 'The Rock' are angry at a string of recent minor incursions featuring Spanish police motor boats interfering with pleasure craft and protecting fishermen using illegal practices

Rosario Silva de Lapuerta previously represented Madrid in a case where it had claimed sovereignty over Gibraltar airport.

The British Government later complained but ministers’ objections were dismissed by the ECJ.

William Dartmouth, UKIP MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, urged the Government to draw a line in the sand following the latest incursion.

Under pressure: There are fears that the Spanish government is seeking to ramp up tensions with Britain to deflect attention away from domestic problems threatening to engulf Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, pictured

He said: 'I hope that the protest will be made in the strongest possible terms.

'It seems a deliberate policy of Spain to constantly provoke tensions in and around Gibraltar.

'The Spanish Government should be left in no doubt that future provocation will not be tolerated.'

Gibraltar – which has a population of 30,000 - was ceded to Britain in perpetuity by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

A 2002 referendum saw 99 per cent of the electorate reject a deal to share sovereignty with Spain, which has an official policy of seeking to regain the territory by peaceful means.

Yesterday, a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: 'On February 2, a Spanish naval vessel entered British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. The incursion lasted 19 minutes.

'As Minister for Europe David Lidington has said previously, we condemn these provocative incursions and urge the Spanish government to ensure that they are not repeated.

'We remain confident of UK sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters and fully committed to protecting the interests of the people of Gibraltar and their wish to remain under British sovereignty.

'The British Embassy in Madrid will make a formal written protest to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs about Saturday’s incursion later today.'

Spain’s economy is on the brink of meltdown and unemployment is running at 26 per cent.

Last weekend saw violent protests calling for Prime Minister Rajoy’s resignation following allegations that he and other leading members of the ruling Popular Party took payments from a secret £25 million Swiss-based slush fund.

 

See the full gallery on Posterous