Posted on 08/03/2004 6:59:07 PM PDT by Pikamax
Spain lashes out as Gibraltar celebrates anniversary
Giles Tremlett in Madrid Wednesday August 4, 2004 The Guardian
Spain yesterday accused the British government of lacking "self-control" and "sensitivity" as Gibraltar, with the help of the Royal Navy and the defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, prepared to celebrate today's 300th anniversary of the expulsion of its Spanish population. As Gibraltarians held a street party last night, Spain's Socialist foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, said Mr Hoon's visit was merely the latest in a series of British blunders over the Rock.
"It is very strange that, in the European Union of the 21st century, one member state should be celebrating the military occupation of part of another member state," Mr Moratinos wrote in El País newspaper.
He complained of Britain's "clear lack of sensitivity" in permitting a visit to Gibraltar by Princess Anne and allowing another visit by the submarine HMS Tireless, which sparked a huge row when it was repaired there several years ago.
The frigate HMS Grafton became the first Royal Navy vessel to fire a 21-gun salute in Gibraltar's harbour for 54 years when it arrived at the weekend.
This has also riled Spain - which wants a return of the sovereignty lost in 1704.
Mr Moratinos said the British government "should have made some gesture" to the descendants of those who fled, or were expelled by, the Anglo-Dutch forces who stormed Gibraltar.
The loss of the region's main port had, Mr Moratinos said, condemned locals to centuries of poverty and had blighted the local economy ever since.
The reaction of the Spanish government to the anniversary party has been restrained compared with that of some politicians, who have accused Britain of behaving "like a 17th-century colonial power", according to one senior Socialist, and of "philofascism", according to a local communist.
Gibraltar's first minister, Peter Caruana, meanwhile, has further irritated Spain by calling its reaction "impertinent" and telling Madrid the anniversary celebrations were "none of their business".
While a spokesman for the Foreign Office told Spanish journalists their government was indulging in "childlike" behaviour, the US cancelled a visit by navy vessel USS McFaul, saying it did not want to offend Spain.
The slowly snowballing affair has proved an embarrassment for the Socialist prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who admitted that the lowest point of his first 100 days in government was the visit of HMS Tireless.
Rightwing newspapers and the conservative opposition in Spain have whipped up popular outrage at the celebrations, while the government has tried to dampen the controversy.
Mr Moratinos yesterday went much further than his predecessors in recognising that Spain needs to win over Gibraltarians if it is to have any hope of regaining sovereignty.
"Negotiations about sovereignty cannot be carried out properly in an atmosphere of confrontation, even if this is only because the Gibraltarians themselves should take part," he said.
Previous Spanish governments have imposed rigorous police controls at the Gibraltar border so that it takes hours to enter or leave.
That may help to explain why, when asked in a referendum in 2002 whether they supported the government's plans to negotiate shared sovereignty between Spain and Britain, 99% of its 18,000 voters said no.
Spain's political right has gloated over Mr Zapatero's difficulties, claiming Britain would never have been so heavy-handed had the conservative ex-prime minister, José María Aznar, a friend of Tony Blair, still been in power.
Mr Aznar's People's party yesterday taunted Mr Zapatero, who has shifted Spain's allegiance towards France and Germany, over his inability to have a "normal, logical and constructive" relationship with the Blair government.
There have also been rumours, emanating from the Spanish foreign ministry, that Britain has decided to use the Gibraltar celebrations to snub Mr Zapatero for pulling Spanish troops out of Iraq.
"While a spokesman for the Foreign Office told Spanish journalists their government was indulging in "childlike" behaviour, the US cancelled a visit by navy vessel USS McFaul, saying it did not want to offend Spain."
Huh?
Surely shome mistake?
No kidding, I say the McFaul visits and fires off a few of it's cannon.
Ah, who gives a crap what the spineless Spanish say? One terrorist attack and they run home with their tails between their legs like so many Frenchmen. To hell with 'em.
Boy, these "let's all share the world" socialists sure get touchy when they think you've got theirs. But then I can see how this guy feels Spain should get the Rock back even after 300 years. After all, the muslims just got control of Spain back after over 500 years.
Negotiations between Madrid and London on sharing sovereignty fell apart in 2002 after Gibraltar's inhabitants rejected any role for Spain in a non-binding referendum.
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Moratinos said Britain should not use the population of Gibraltar as a pretext to avoid discussions.
So what if the lowly people dont want it, that's no excuse not to force it on them. Thank you elitist socialist snobs.
Spain wants Gibralter they ought to just march up there and occupy it. Right. They ought to do that before China gets it.
The entire spanish obsession with gibraltar is another blame-the-yankee device to keep their population angry at external entities, similar to the way the falklands have been used for decades by various argentine governments.
Under the spanish model of reversing 300-year old territorial gains/losses, it is clear the parts of france formerly belonging to germany should be returned. eastern europe of course is going to be unrecognizable when this is done.
geeee- ya think?
When do you think the Spanish are going to give Cueta and Melilla (two small Spanish enclaves in North Africa) back to Morocco? Probably the first of never.
That sounds like a suitable date to give Gibraltar back to the Spanish. As long as the Gibraltarians want to remain a British territory and the British are willing and able to protect Gibraltar from the Spanish, the Rock will remain British.
I think Cueta is a critical point here. If England does not remain in Gibraltor, then wouldn't Spain entirely control the western mouth to the Mediterranean? Their presence in Cueta is a military one--at least when I was there about 25 years ago, armed police lined many of the streets.
i have no sympathy for the spanish anymore -- i used to be very much a fan.
Spain (under the Socialists) is now playing kissy-face with Morocco, and I would not be in the least surprised if Ceuta and Melilla are handed over to Morocco. That would mean that the western mouth of the Mediterranean would be at least partly controlled by Morocco, which is, in my opinion, not a good idea.
I don't think that the entrance to the Mediterranean should be in the hands of ANY one power! I prefer the Spanish-British-Moroccan stand off of today. Do you really think that Spain would hand Cueta back to Morroco? I find that difficult to comprehend, although I have not kept up to date on the situation there.
Lashing out should never be used to describe those mama boys, wimps, stinking cowards, and terrorist appeasers.
When a country votes socialist, you can expect "sensitivity" to then become its primary goal. Over security, stability, economic progress etc.
Well, I don't think the Spanish have any moral authority to question British ownership of Gibraltar until they pull out of Ceuta and Melilla. And I wouldn't think of asking them to.
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