USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    Home / World

    Gibraltar reef row slows flow of border traffic

    By Agence France-Presse in Gibraltar | China Daily | Updated: 2013-08-14 07:56

     Gibraltar reef row slows flow of border traffic

    Britain's HMS Westminster leaves for Gibraltar from Portsmouth, England, on Tuesday. Andrew Cowie / Agence France-Presse

    Spain steps up 'smuggling' checks in response to artificial sea barrier

    Irate drivers waited in sweltering lines for hours to enter Gibraltar on Tuesday as Spain enforced tight border checks in a growing row with the UK over the tiny British territory and its surrounding waters.

    On "the Rock" itself, defiant residents declared themselves thoroughly British, surrounded by English pubs, Royal Mail letterboxes, bright red telephone cabins and the occasional monkey.

    Gibraltarians are firmly on London's side in the latest of a long string of spats with Madrid over the fate of the British outpost, which lies off the southern tip of Spain and within sight of the African coastline.

    The latest flare-up was sparked when Gibraltar sank concrete blocks in disputed waters to create an artificial reef, making it impossible for Spanish fishing fleets to operate in the area.

    "We don't want to belong to Spain. We are happy being British," said 42-year-old Gilbratarian Kim Bickerstaff, complaining that the Spanish border checks were hurting residents and visiting workers.

    Indeed, life on Gibraltar, ceded by Spain to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht, looks British right down to the police officers with their tall helmets.

    Exceptions are the monkeys who wander nonchalantly through the streets. They live in the forests of the rock that looms over Gibraltar and descend during the day when tourists are about. Feeding the animals is forbidden.

    On a pub terrace, 52-year-old office worker Rosana sat with her family and slipped easily between English and a Spanish that's typical of the neighboring southern region of Andalusia.

    "At home we speak both languages because we are llanitos, she said, as people of Gibraltarian origin are known.

    "We are British," she said.

    Rosana said she backed Gibraltar's creation of an artificial reef and could not understand the response of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government, which has affected not only Gibraltarian residents but also workers coming from the Spanish border town of La Linea.

    "They don't know what is happening, and they are creating all kinds of obstacles," she said.

    About 10,000 Spaniards work in Gibraltar and about 6,000 Gibraltarians live on the Spanish side where housing is cheaper, according to Madrid.

    "Those of us who have family or work here have a different viewpoint from the rest of the Spanish. We are not anti-Gibraltarian," said Rafael Marquina, a 46-year-old government worker from La Linea who was visiting his aunt.

    "All the problems come from an incorrect starting point: that Gibraltar is Spanish. But Gibraltar is British and its people feel British," he said.

    "The day they accept that it is in fact English, they will be able to solve any problem and reach agreements."

    (China Daily 08/14/2013 page12)

    Today's Top News

    Editor's picks

    Most Viewed

    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    在线中文字幕一区| 麻豆aⅴ精品无码一区二区 | 亚洲国产综合无码一区二区二三区| 亚洲日韩中文在线精品第一| 久久久人妻精品无码一区| 超清无码熟妇人妻AV在线电影| 无码中文人妻在线一区二区三区| 日韩一区二区三区无码影院| 精品人妻系列无码一区二区三区| 熟妇人妻中文字幕无码老熟妇| A∨变态另类天堂无码专区| 中国无码人妻丰满熟妇啪啪软件 | 婷婷中文娱乐网开心| 国精品无码A区一区二区| 蜜桃臀无码内射一区二区三区| 亚洲av永久无码精品秋霞电影影院| 中文字幕在线免费观看| 中文字幕亚洲欧美日韩2019 | 亚洲AV无码不卡在线观看下载| 麻豆aⅴ精品无码一区二区| 无码国内精品人妻少妇| 亚洲中文久久精品无码| 久久亚洲AV成人无码| 在线欧美天码中文字幕| 一区二区三区在线观看中文字幕| 乱人伦人妻中文字幕无码| 日本精品久久久中文字幕| 久久中文骚妇内射| 免费无码中文字幕A级毛片| 欧美精品中文字幕亚洲专区| 亚洲无av在线中文字幕| 一区二区中文字幕| 国产中文字幕乱人伦在线观看 | 亚洲欧美精品一区久久中文字幕 | 一区二区三区在线观看中文字幕| 欧美日韩国产中文精品字幕自在自线| 日本中文字幕免费高清视频| 久久中文精品无码中文字幕| 高清无码中文字幕在线观看视频| 中文字幕一区二区三区日韩精品 | 亚洲av无码av制服另类专区|