Hypocrisy in one picture:
Perspective view of the Strait of Gibraltar facing eastwards; Spain and Gibraltar on the left; Morocco and Ceuta on the right
Posted on 08/12/2013 12:08:34 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The dispute over the Falkland Islands may get a boost at the UN, thanks to Spain’s designs on Gibraltar. According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais and reported in the Telegraph, Spain’s foreign minister has traveled to Argentina to discuss the possibility of both countries supporting each other’s territorial ambitions at the expense of the UK — and self-determination:
Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo will use a trip to Buenos Aires next month to raise the possibility of forging a joint diplomatic offensive with the South American country over the disputed territories, sources told Spain’s El Pais newspaper.
Spain’s foreign ministry was also discussing whether to take its complaints over Gibraltar to the United Nations, the newspaper reported on Sunday.
The sources did not specify whether Spain would ask the UN to back a request for Britain to give up sovereignty or just adhere to certain agreements.
It could take its petition to the Security Council or take up the matter with the UN General Assembly.
Spain is also considering the option of denouncing Gibraltar to the International Court of Justice in the Hague for its “illegal occupation” of the isthmus – the strip of land connecting the peninsula to the mainland that was not included in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.
Gibraltar, like the Falklands, has a semi-autonomous relationship with the UK. In both enclaves, the people living there have repeatedly voted to remain independent and aligned with the UK for defense and foreign relations. Both are strategically important for the UK — the Falklands as a south Atlantic naval base and oil source, and Gibraltar for access to the Mediterranean. It wasn’t that long ago that Great Britain needed that security for Mediterranean operations; it was just seven decades ago, a rather brief period in the context of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.
This weekend, Spain made it clear that it wants to play hardball by imposing harassing border checks into the isthmus:
The UK government is considering legal action against Spain over the imposition of additional border checks in Gibraltar, Downing Street has said.
A spokesman said the prime minister was “very disappointed” by Spain’s failure to remove the checks over the weekend.
Legal action through the EU would be “unprecedented”, the spokesman added.
The Spanish government, which has said its checks are essential to stop smuggling, said it would not relax border controls.
Spain said it had an “obligation” to police the border, and insisted its controls were legal and proportionate.
A government spokesman also said Spain was considering taking the dispute to the UN Security Council, where it could seek the support of Argentina.
Argentina will leap at the chance to get the UN to rule on the Falklands, but it’s quite a different situation, and the UN Security Council isn’t likely to back a consolidation of the issues. Gibraltar and the isthmus are attached to Spain itself, for one thing, while the Falkland Islands are 250 miles off of Argentina’s coast, far outside of national waters under any definition. After attacking the islands in the early 1980s, the UN is probably not disposed to look favorably on Argentina’s claims, at least not where it counts, especially when the islanders themselves have repeatedly made it clear that they want nothing to do with Argentina.
That’s not to say that Spain has a much better claim, at least legally speaking. The treaty in 1713 remains in force, and Spain’s citation of it regarding the isthmus inadvertently endorses its continuing legality. Their sudden interest in forcing the issue came after the creation of an artificial reef which Spain argues interferes with fishing rights, but that is an issue for direct diplomacy, not the UN, and neither is the Treaty of Utrecht, which has been in force longer than most nations in the UN — including the US.
The only real measure of the claims made by both countries is that of self-determination, after centuries’ worth of status quo. Any attempt to use the UN to force a change in sovereignty would violate the UN’s supposed bedrock principle of self-determination, and the UK will certainly make extensive use of its Security Council veto to make sure that doesn’t happen. The end result of Spanish-Argentinian plotting will be a continuation of the status quo, with an extra added benefit of exposing the bad-faith motivations from both governments.
Argentina can’t bring it. Spain can’t afford the munitions. Game over.
Pirates were operating on the south island from a place called Puerto Solodad capturing or harrassing Clipper ships going around the cape heading toward and from California. It wasn’t the Brits that drove the pirates out of Puerto Soledad handed their butts over to The Viceroy of Argentina, and burned down the town leaving the place vacant.
That’s a piece of history buried in PC even during the Falklands war you never heard about.
Good luck with that.
Britain and the US will never allow it.
“This is a stupid move on the part of Spain...” Agreed.
Spain, though, has a greater claim to Gibraltar than Argentina has to the Falkland Islands. Gibraltar was once part of Spain, whereas the Falkland Islands were a colony of Great Britain before the nation of Argentina even existed!
The Falkland Islands lay outside the 200 mile offshore limits, so Argentina cannot claim the islands based on that, plus the inhabitants of the islands believe themselves to be Brits and not Argentines.
Call Out the Invincible Armada II....
Spain and GB both are members of NATO and the Gibraltar-GB relatioship poses NO national secuirty threat to Spain, whatsoever.
Though Spanish settlers on Gibraltar sank to nearly nil immediately after Britsh & Dutch naval forces took possession of the rock in 1703, Britain, unlike Spain, declared Gibraltar a free port and kept it that way and immigrants from the region, including from Spain, and from Britain continued, to where
today Gibraltarians of Spanish descent make up about 27% of the local population and Gibraltarians of British descent about 24%, with the rest from many countries in the region
and beyond, and
in many referendums majorities of Gibraltarians have repeatedly voted that they DO NOT want their relationship with Britain changed.
Spain is not acting in the interests of the people of Spain, or the people of Gibraltar, or even the people of
Gibraltar of Spanish descent.
It as acting for one reason alone - wounded historical pride.
Like Obama, the Spanish government must need a popular diversion from its real problems and scandals.
Shiite vs Sunni?
There have been two elections, and both times it would just about redefine the word landslide:
Vote in 1967: 12,138 votes to 44, NO WAY!
Vote in 2002: 17,900 votes to 187, NO WAY!
LOL!
Spain and Argentina; now there’s a pair of global powerhouses!
Hispano-Racism extends to Spain...also
Whether its Illegal Alien Amnesty on America....or seizing Anglophonic colonies against the will of the citizens....Hispano-Racism is a big problem
Cameron is such a whimp he’ll probably hand them over,
Go UKIP!
RE: in many referendums majorities of Gibraltarians have repeatedly voted that they DO NOT want their relationship with Britain changed.
Well, there you go, this is the same sentiment that those who live in the Falklands have.
I wonder how the Spanish people think of this posturing by their government...
If they’re wise, they’d VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE before they do any more damage.
Great point....will hypocritical Spain give up Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco?
Why I call it Hispano Racism
Color me crazy, but this statement could be construed as a prelude to war.
Territorial ambitions have started more wars than I can name or count.
Let's be honest. Many diplomats just plain suck. Probably a missed translation...
5.56mm
Spain, well yeah, Spain will kick the Brits like they did the Muslim bombers. Wait, that's not right is it. After the train bombings in Spain they essentially surrendered to a bunch of ugly fat uulating women dressed in dirty tarpaulins.
Okay, but they were tough in their last war...no wait, they were killing themselves in that civil war thingie. Okay. But before that it was...it was...forget it.
The Brits will kick Spain's ass on the way to the Falklands, installing either the Gibraltan Apes or Manchester football hooligans as a care taker government, depending on which group has better table manners. That's a pick'em.
>> “If they’re wise, they’d VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE before they do any more damage.” <<
.
If their voting booths are as useful as ours are, they might as well just sit back and watch.
Hypocrisy in one picture:
Perspective view of the Strait of Gibraltar facing eastwards; Spain and Gibraltar on the left; Morocco and Ceuta on the right
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