Royal Navy warships to visit Gibraltar amid diplomatic row ( Daily Telegraph)
Exclusive: Britain has said a rapid reaction force of warships will visit Gibraltar on its way to naval exercises in the Mediterranean, even as the fierce diplomatic row over the disputed territory looked set to continue.
The Navy’s force led by HMS Illustrious
and including two frigates will sail for the Mediterranean on Monday at
the start of a four-month deployment. Photo: REUTERS
4:14PM BST 08 Aug 2013
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The Navy’s force led by HMS Illustrious and including two frigates will sail
for the Mediterranean on Monday at the start of a four-month deployment.
Three ships including the frigate HMS Westminster are due to stop later this
month in the port amid a standoff with Madrid over punitive border checks
for visitors to Gibraltar.
The visit was announced two days after Gibraltar’s chief minister demanded
that warships be sent to stop Spanish incursions into the Rock's territorial
waters. On Thursday, Fabian Picardo told The Telegraph the territory
would be delighted to welcome the Royal Navy.
He said: "Gibraltar has a long and close relationship with the Royal Navy
and we will be delighted to welcome HMS Westminster and the support ships
back to the Rock. It is further proof, if any were needed, of the continuing
strategic importance of Gibraltar and its territorial waters."
Naval chiefs stressed the visit by the nine-vessel Response Force Task Group
was part of a long-planned exercise, and not in response to the diplomatic
row.
But it was announced as the dispute over the territory continued despite attempts by the nations’ leaders to de-escalate the situation.
The force of four Royal Navy warships supported by five ships of the Royal
Fleet Auxiliary is led by the helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious. It will
consist of thousands of sailors and Royal Marines.
The deployment, called Cougar 13, will see the force sail through the Mediterranean and on to The Gulf and Horn of Africa, holding joint exercises with navies along the way.
David Cameron earlier this week said he was “seriously concerned” about escalating tensions over the border between Spain and Gibraltar.
Spain has warned it is ready to impose a border tax, close its airspace to
planes using the British overseas territory's airport, and investigate the
affairs of Gibraltarians with Spanish economic interests.
The escalation between Spain and the British territory began last month after Gibraltar began building an artificial reef it said would improve fish stocks depleted by incursions by Spanish fishermen.
Downing Street’s claims that Spain had agreed to ease punitive border delays after a call between David Cameron and Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish Prime Minister, appeared premature after Spanish police quickly re-imposed them.
Those entering the Rock quickly found themselves in queues of up to four hours in the hottest part of the day.
Gibraltar’s chief minister, who earlier in the week likened Spain’s stance to “that of North Korea”, said the latest behaviour was just another example of Spanish “duplicity”.
“It’s about time the UK government saw the face of Spain that we see constantly. In Gibraltar we are not so surprised that there was an element of duplicity in the way Spain is going about this,” Mr Picardo said on Thursday.
Following the call between Prime Ministers, Downing Street briefed that Spain had conceded to reduce measures at the border while agreeing the Gibraltar issue should “not become an obstacle in bilateral relations” and that there was a “need to find a way to de-escalate”
However, the Spanish government issued a statement in which it made no reference to any concessions to reduce delays at the border and claimed instead that Mr Rajoy had held his ground over the matter.
“From the two such diametrically opposed briefings from two capitals, it seemed that two entirely different conversations were held,” commented Gibraltar’s Chief Minister.
The front pages of Spanish newspapers on Thursday carried headlines on the “stand-off”.
“There is an obvious defiance displayed on front pages of all the Spanish newspapers today,” said Mr Picardo. “It remains to be seen whether we are going to see that defiance played out on the ground or whether in fact they will talk tough but deliver on de-escalation that the prime minister has sought.”
He commented that perhaps it suited Spain’s ruling Popular Party to keep Gibraltar in the headlines for a few more days yet.
“There is certainly a smoke screen element to all this and the best way for Spanish government to play out August is to have Gibraltar on the front pages and not the scandals that are afflicting them.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the annual Cougar deployment was “long-planned and well-established”.
He said: “Gibraltar is a strategic base for UK Defence and as such Royal Navy ships visit its waters throughout the year as part of a range of regular and routine deployments.
“Elements of last year’s Cougar ’12 deployment visited Gibraltar and the forthcoming visit by ships making up Cougar ’13, including HMS Westminster and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships Lyme Bay and Mounts Bay, are business as usual. At the same time, other elements of the Task Force will be visiting Spanish ports as part of the exercises.
“The same phase of the deployment will also see port visits in Portugal and throughout the Mediterranean to Spain, Turkey and Malta before onward transit to the Middle East.”
But it was announced as the dispute over the territory continued despite attempts by the nations’ leaders to de-escalate the situation.
The deployment, called Cougar 13, will see the force sail through the Mediterranean and on to The Gulf and Horn of Africa, holding joint exercises with navies along the way.
David Cameron earlier this week said he was “seriously concerned” about escalating tensions over the border between Spain and Gibraltar.
The escalation between Spain and the British territory began last month after Gibraltar began building an artificial reef it said would improve fish stocks depleted by incursions by Spanish fishermen.
Downing Street’s claims that Spain had agreed to ease punitive border delays after a call between David Cameron and Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish Prime Minister, appeared premature after Spanish police quickly re-imposed them.
Those entering the Rock quickly found themselves in queues of up to four hours in the hottest part of the day.
Gibraltar’s chief minister, who earlier in the week likened Spain’s stance to “that of North Korea”, said the latest behaviour was just another example of Spanish “duplicity”.
“It’s about time the UK government saw the face of Spain that we see constantly. In Gibraltar we are not so surprised that there was an element of duplicity in the way Spain is going about this,” Mr Picardo said on Thursday.
Following the call between Prime Ministers, Downing Street briefed that Spain had conceded to reduce measures at the border while agreeing the Gibraltar issue should “not become an obstacle in bilateral relations” and that there was a “need to find a way to de-escalate”
However, the Spanish government issued a statement in which it made no reference to any concessions to reduce delays at the border and claimed instead that Mr Rajoy had held his ground over the matter.
“From the two such diametrically opposed briefings from two capitals, it seemed that two entirely different conversations were held,” commented Gibraltar’s Chief Minister.
The front pages of Spanish newspapers on Thursday carried headlines on the “stand-off”.
“There is an obvious defiance displayed on front pages of all the Spanish newspapers today,” said Mr Picardo. “It remains to be seen whether we are going to see that defiance played out on the ground or whether in fact they will talk tough but deliver on de-escalation that the prime minister has sought.”
He commented that perhaps it suited Spain’s ruling Popular Party to keep Gibraltar in the headlines for a few more days yet.
“There is certainly a smoke screen element to all this and the best way for Spanish government to play out August is to have Gibraltar on the front pages and not the scandals that are afflicting them.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the annual Cougar deployment was “long-planned and well-established”.
He said: “Gibraltar is a strategic base for UK Defence and as such Royal Navy ships visit its waters throughout the year as part of a range of regular and routine deployments.
“Elements of last year’s Cougar ’12 deployment visited Gibraltar and the forthcoming visit by ships making up Cougar ’13, including HMS Westminster and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships Lyme Bay and Mounts Bay, are business as usual. At the same time, other elements of the Task Force will be visiting Spanish ports as part of the exercises.
“The same phase of the deployment will also see port visits in Portugal and throughout the Mediterranean to Spain, Turkey and Malta before onward transit to the Middle East.”
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More from The Telegraph
Tensió a les aigües de Gibraltar
L'armada britànica arriba a la base naval de la Rota · 50 pesquers espanyols protesten contra els bloc de formigó
Segons s’ha sabut avui, Nick Clegg, el vice-primer ministre britànic, va parlar amb Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría divendres per expressar-li la seva preocupació per la situació a Gibraltar. Ho ha anunciat l’oficina de Clegg, malgrat que no ha transcendit cap més detall de la conversa.
Pendents de la conversa entre Rajoy i Barroso
El president de la Comissió Europea, José Manuel Durão
Barroso, va dir que conversaria ahir amb el president espanyol Mariano
Rajoy, que insisteix en la legalitat dels controls policíacs de
Gibaltar. Ho farà a petició del primer ministre britànic David
Cameron va demanar a la Unió Europea que enviés urgentment observadors
al penyal.
Fins ara, la Unió Europea ha evitat qualsevol pronunciament
sobre la petició del primer ministre britànic, David Cameron, a Barroso.
Segons Downing Street, Cameron ha mostrat la seva seriosa
preocupació per uns controls que creuen motivats políticament i
desproporcionats. Durao Barroso, li ha repost que farà complir les lleis vigents per resoldre el conflicte.D’una altra banda, el govern espanyol ha demanat que s’aturi la construcció a la cara est del penyal perquè és prohibit pel tractat d’Utrecht.
Oficialment, els vaixells tenen previst continuar la ruta fins al Golf Pèrsic
L'estat espanyol ha dit que tenia constància d'aquest moviment militar perquè el ministeri havia demanat de fer parada a la base espanyola de la Rota. Per això, Espanya considera que és una 'visita rutinària'.
A ningú no se li escapa, però, que l'arribada de vaixells militars a Gibraltar pren un significat especial, tenint en compte la tensió creixent aquests darrers dies entre ambdós estats i, sobretot, tenint present que el ministre principal de Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, havia demanat l'arribada de l'exèrcit.
Les maniobres britàniques, que porten per nom Cougar, també es van fer al 2011 i al 2012, però a la tardor. Oficialment, els vaixells tenen previst continuar la ruta fins al Golf Pèrsic. 'Gibraltar és una base estratègica per a la Defensa del Regne Unit i, per tant, la flota reial visita les aigües gibraltarenyes al llarg de l'any com a part de d'una sèrie regular de desplegaments militars habituals', va dir ahir un portaveu del ministeri britànic de Defensa al Daily Telegraph.
Fa decennis que la tensió és evident però aquest juliol,
després que vaixells gibraltarencs tiressin blocs de ciment al mar per a
construir un barrera artificial, el conflicte es va encendre de nou.
El govern britànic va dir el proppassat dilluns que
'estudia seriosament' d'adoptar accions legals contra l'executiu
espanyol pels controls a Gibraltar. Segons un portaveu del primer
ministre britànic, David Cameron, el Regne Unit considera que l'augment
dels controls són 'políticament motivats' i 'totalment
desproporcionats'.
Gibraltar ja va fer la seva cadena humana per la sobirania el 2004
La sobirania de Gibraltar respecte de l'estat espanyol és reivindicada cada 4 d'agost,
dia en què una flota aliada anglo-neerlandesa, l'any 1704, i amb tres
centenars de soldats i voluntaris austriacistes de tots els Països
Catalans, havia ocupat el penyal en nom de l'arxiduc Carles. El 4
d'agost de l'any 2004, coincidint amb els tres-cents anys d'aquells fets
i en un context, com ara, de forta tensió diplomàtica entre Londres i
Madrid, els gibraltarenys van fer la seva pròpia cadena humana per la
sobirania, que fou un èxit i demostració de força vers les pressions
espanyoles.La cadena, que va rebre el nom de 'Encircling the nation' (encerclant la nació), feia dotze quilòmetres i mig de llargada i envoltava tot Gibraltar. S'hi van aplegar quinze mil gribraltarenys, tots vestits de color vermell i blanc, colors de la seva bandera. Juntament amb la Via Bàltica, de l'any 1989, la de Gibraltar és un bon precedent de la Via Catalana.
Notícies relacionades:
- Cameron, contundent amb Rajoy arran de la tensió a Gibraltar(07.08.2013)
- Espanya, forçada a rebaixar el to contra Gibraltar (06.08.2013)
- Les provocacions espanyoles fan créixer la tensió amb Gibraltar(29.07.2013)
- Utrecht: tres-cents anys de 'pau' (13.07.2013)
- Alfred Bosch: 'Gibraltar, per a Espanya, és com Catalunya' (13.08.2013)
- El suport català a Gibraltar ressona al món (13.08.2013)
- ERC critica la crida al boicot turístic a Espanya d'una eurodiputada britànica (16.08.2013)
