Spain Denies 'Incident' in Entering Gibraltar Waters

Spain's Foreign Ministry denied that its vessels' entry into Gibraltar's territorial waters constituted an incident after the European Commission called it a 'bilateral issue.'

Spain does not consider the entry of its vessels into Gibraltar waters an "incident," a source in the country's foreign ministry told RIA Novosti.

On Sunday, the British Foreign Office accused Spain of repeatedly violating UK sovereignty by sending boats into British waters in Gibraltar. The European Commission distanced itself on Monday from a dispute over Spain's alleged trespassing in British territorial waters near Gibraltar, saying it was a "bilateral issue."

• "There is no incident because Spain recognizes these waters as its own territory," the source in Spain's foreign ministry told RIA Novosti.

Over the weekend, Spanish vessels from the Customs Surveillance Service (SVA) anti-drug and money laundering squad repeatedly entered UK waters in Gibraltar while chasing suspected drug smugglers. According to the source, the Spanish vessels entered the waters "within the framework of regular control against illegal actions, which could be contraband or illegal fishing activity."

"We understand that the Spanish were in pursuit of vessels who may have been committing crimes. However it is completely unacceptable and unlawful under the international law of the sea to enter our waters without notifying us," British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Hugo Swire said in a statement on Sunday.

A densely populated area on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, Gibraltar remains a major point of contention in Britain’s diplomatic relations with Spain.
  http://sptnkne.ws/9wC
10/8/15
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