GIBRALTAR
(Gibraltar Chronicle) Sir Adrian Johns, the Governor of Gibraltar, said Spanish incursions into British waters must be dealt with “firmly but courteously”, both at sea and through diplomatic channels. Sir Adrian, who held a senior post in the Royal Navy prior to his posting here, also warned of the potential for “misunderstanding and miscalculation” and said better lines of communication were needed. The Governor was speaking to GBC in the wake of a string of incidents at sea last week involving tense stand-offs between Gibraltar-based marine units and the Guardia Civil. “My view, and I would say this as the representative of the head of state here, is that sovereignty is very close to my heart,” he said. “I believe that any incursions into the waters need to be challenged on the spot, firmly but courteously, and also need to challenge them politically, again firmly but courteously.”>
“This is what we do through our embassy in Madrid.”
Last week the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said it would protest to Spain over the latest incidents, one of which reportedly involved aggressive seamanship by the crew of a Guardia Civil vessel.
These complaints have become routine in such cases and normally involve a written note verbale setting out the grievances.
In the interview, the governor showed concern not just about past incursions, but also about the scope for the situation to inadvertently escalate.
“There’s one aspect that I think does concern me in that there is potential here for misunderstanding and miscalculation,” he told GBC.
“I think what we all need to do is get a better line of communication and perhaps even some form of protocol for operating in and around all the waters here so that people understand what each other is doing and what our business is.”
One of the biggest concerns for officials on both sides of the border is the risk of someone getting hurt, particularly during the busy summer months.
(Gibraltar Chronicle) Sir Adrian Johns, the Governor of Gibraltar, said Spanish incursions into British waters must be dealt with “firmly but courteously”, both at sea and through diplomatic channels. Sir Adrian, who held a senior post in the Royal Navy prior to his posting here, also warned of the potential for “misunderstanding and miscalculation” and said better lines of communication were needed. The Governor was speaking to GBC in the wake of a string of incidents at sea last week involving tense stand-offs between Gibraltar-based marine units and the Guardia Civil. “My view, and I would say this as the representative of the head of state here, is that sovereignty is very close to my heart,” he said. “I believe that any incursions into the waters need to be challenged on the spot, firmly but courteously, and also need to challenge them politically, again firmly but courteously.”>
“This is what we do through our embassy in Madrid.”
Last week the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said it would protest to Spain over the latest incidents, one of which reportedly involved aggressive seamanship by the crew of a Guardia Civil vessel.
These complaints have become routine in such cases and normally involve a written note verbale setting out the grievances.
In the interview, the governor showed concern not just about past incursions, but also about the scope for the situation to inadvertently escalate.
“There’s one aspect that I think does concern me in that there is potential here for misunderstanding and miscalculation,” he told GBC.
“I think what we all need to do is get a better line of communication and perhaps even some form of protocol for operating in and around all the waters here so that people understand what each other is doing and what our business is.”
One of the biggest concerns for officials on both sides of the border is the risk of someone getting hurt, particularly during the busy summer months.
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