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NATO ALLIES

However, recently, he resurfaced in the news media after an incident with an American Hercules aircraft, which was denied airspace access to Gibraltar; despite being cleared by Gibraltar Air Traffic control. Luke Coffey has always been a great friend and supporter of Gibraltar; and in February 2014 he wrote an article titled, “Why, and how, the USA should support Gibraltar;” where amongst other things, he said that NATO should call an end to Spanish provocations; that the US should condemn Spain’s intimidating behaviour toward a NATO ally i.e. the UK; that Spanish concerns about Gibraltar should be secondary.

To US national security needs; and that the restrictions imposed by Franco in the 1960`s; that military aircraft or naval vessels bound for, or coming from Gibraltar could neither overfly Spain, nor could naval vessels calling at Gibraltar first then call at a Spanish port be lifted.

On this recent occasion he was heard to voice similar sentiments; describing the incident as very “concerning.” Concerning for whom? Us perhaps, but not to NATO or for that matter the USA.” Then he went on to express the same views as he had done in 2014; that “it is in NATO`s interest that its aircraft and vessels can travel freely between all friendly ports and bases in the region including Gibraltar’s;” further adding that it was astonishing that Spain should impose such burdensome restrictions on NATO allies. Who believes that Spain is either a friendly port or base, when it comes to matters involving Gibraltar? Spain may be a member of NATO, but what is in NATO`S Interests, has nothing to do with Spain’s interests. This is like a mother telling her child “I’ll give you an earful if you do that again!” Except the earful never comes about, so he does the same again and again.

THE RECOVERY OF GIBRALTAR

This is sadly the kind of debate we often hear from our friends at the House of Lords who paraphrase terms like “inconceivable” or “should not be tolerated” etc etc. words that are well meant, but which at the end of the day signify nothing.

We know that the main reasons why the government of Spain sought membership of the Atlantic Alliance were geopolitical. Spain wanted to join NATO so as to guarantee its territorial integrity, and thereby reinforce the security of the Balearic-Gibraltar Strait Canary island axis, by protecting it from possible foreign expansionism, principally from Morocco; which having annexed Ifni and Western Sahara, had ambitions to conquer the two Spanish cities in North Africa i.e. Ceuta and Melilla.

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15-05-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR