Drone_pilot
04-08-04, 12:58
Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon is in Gibraltar attending events marking 300 years of British rule there - despite protests from the Spanish government.
Mr Hoon's visit has been criticised by Spanish MPs as an "offensive action".
Madrid accused Britain of clinging to its imperial past to the detriment of good relations with its EU partner.
Spain has long demanded the return of the Rock since Britain seized it in 1704, but the majority of Gibraltarians want to remain British.
Human chain
An unofficial referendum in 2002 showed nearly 99% of Gibraltarians were opposed to any idea of joint rule between Britain and Spain.
Some 15,000 of Gibraltar's 30,000 residents were linking hands in a human chain around the Rock on Wednesday morning.
Spanish Foreign Secretary Miguel Angel Moratinos said Mr Hoon's decision to attend was "unfriendly" and showed a clear lack of sensitivity by London.
BBC Read More (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3533676.stm)
Mr Hoon's visit has been criticised by Spanish MPs as an "offensive action".
Madrid accused Britain of clinging to its imperial past to the detriment of good relations with its EU partner.
Spain has long demanded the return of the Rock since Britain seized it in 1704, but the majority of Gibraltarians want to remain British.
Human chain
An unofficial referendum in 2002 showed nearly 99% of Gibraltarians were opposed to any idea of joint rule between Britain and Spain.
Some 15,000 of Gibraltar's 30,000 residents were linking hands in a human chain around the Rock on Wednesday morning.
Spanish Foreign Secretary Miguel Angel Moratinos said Mr Hoon's decision to attend was "unfriendly" and showed a clear lack of sensitivity by London.
BBC Read More (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3533676.stm)