Gibraltar post for former Marine chief

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/19/gibraltar-governor-marine-chief

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Britain is sending a former Royal Marine commander to be the Queen's representative in Gibraltar amid continuing tensions between London and Madrid over the future of the overseas territory.

The Foreign Office announced on Thursday that Lieutenant General Sir James Dutton, who led British forces in Afghanistan, will be the new governor of the disputed territory. It said the move was planned "long ago, well in advance of any of the current difficulties we are experiencing".

"I am delighted and honoured to be going to Gibraltar, especially given its historical connections with the Royal Marines," he said.

"I hope that my many years of military experience combined now with three years of commercial experience will equip me well to deliver the governor's role and responsibilities toward Gibraltar and the United Kingdom."

Spanish fishermen have been protesting against an artificial reef, dumped by Gibraltar in disputed waters, which has prevented them dredging for scallops and other shellfish.

Spain ordered Spanish customs officers to go slow at the border, causing delays lasting several hours. Ministers in Madrid have also threatened to prevent Gibraltar-bound planes from entering Spain's airspace and to investigate the tax arrangements of thousands of Gibraltarians with homes in Spain.

Gibraltar's chief minister, Fabian Picardo, compared Spanish tactics to the behaviour of General Franco, North Korea and Argentina in the runup to the Falklands war.

The role of governor is largely ceremonial given that the 30,000-stong territory has its own elected government, but in an unusual intervention, Dutton's predecessor, Sir Adrian Johns, last month accused Spain of a "serious violation of British sovereignty".

Madrid sent divers to photograph the reef and placed Spanish flags on it in a move that was "unhelpful" when the UK was seeking to ease tensions, said Johns.

The decision to send the retired commandant general of the marines to the Rock comes after Francisco Javier Pérez Trigueros, the mayor of Callosa de Segura municipality in Valencia, circulated a collage of a formation of Spanish fighter jets trailing red and yellow smoke over Gibraltar and a battalion of saluting Spanish soldiers marching in formation with machine-guns towards the enclave on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsular.

Gibraltar has also accused Spain of breaching human rights rules by causing residents to queue for up to seven hours to cross the border and European Commission officials are to visit the border between Spain and Gibraltar next week to assess the legality of checks on traffic that have exacerbated the row with Britain.

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