Feb 18, 2002
GIBRALTAR (AP) - The British military apologized Monday for invading Spain
over the weekend - by mistake.
About 20 Royal Marines went slightly off course in an amphibious exercise and
stormed a Spanish beach Sunday morning near the British colony of Gibraltar, a
British Defense Ministry spokesman said.
Residents of the Spanish border town of La Linea watched in astonishment as
the beach filled with combat-ready troops wielding mortar launchers and SA 80
assault rifles, according to Spanish press reports, which said at least 30
troops were involved.
Spanish television station Telecinco showed footage of an advance team in
combat fatigues dashing through the surf to a beach several yards from the
border, with paratroopers dotting the sky in the background.
Spain's Efe news agency said the soldiers left after several Gibraltarian
fishermen and local police officers told them they were on Spanish soil.
The accidental incursion came at a delicate time in negotiations between
Spain and Britain over the future of Gibraltar, where Britain established a
military base in 1704.
The 2.5-square-mile territory was formally ceded to Britain under the Treaty
of Utrecht in 1713. Gibraltar is an irritant to British-Spanish relations and
the two countries are trying to reach an agreement, that would include the
colony's internal self-governance, by summer.
The spokesman, who could not be identified under Defense Ministry rules, said
the "regrettable and embarrassing" error lasted no more than five minutes.
He said the mishap was likely caused by a map-reading error, although details
of an investigation carried out on board the HMS Ocean helicopter carrier, where
the soldiers came from, were being kept secret.
However, a statement from the British Forces Gibraltar office blamed the
incident on "poor visibility due to local weather and a number of local
fishermen being seen on the intended target beach."
It added that there was a second border breach Sunday when a similar landing
craft lost power and "drifted outside Gibraltar waters."
Local police spokesman David Iria said the mistake was understandable,
because it is "difficult to know exactly where you are" on the poorly marked
coastline.
The HMS Ocean, which had stopped at Gibraltar for maintenance, was heading to
the Indian Ocean to support military operations in Afghanistan, the spokesman
said.
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On the Net:
British Defense Ministry, http://www.mod.uk
British Marines Storm Spanish Beach by Mistake as Residents Watch in
Astonishment
The Associated Press