Gibraltar Diplomatic Bag Row Heightens Tensions

Britain has made a formal protest after Spanish police opened a diplomatic bag on the border with Gibraltar.

An explanation is being demanded by the Foreign Office of the "serious infringement" of international protocols.

Assurances are also being sought that there will be no repeat of the incident, in which a diplomatic bag being carried by a courier into Spain, was opened and searched by Guardia Civil officers.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Diplomatic bags are inviolable."

It comes amid continuing tensions between London and Madrid over the British overseas territory.

Tensions have been growing between London and Madrid over the territory

Diplomatic bags, which are used to carry documents and other items, between governments and their diplomatic missions abroad are protected by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The spokesman said: "This was a serious infringement of the principles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

"We take very seriously any reported abuse of the protocol surrounding official correspondence and the diplomatic bag.

"We have asked the Spanish authorities to investigate what occurred and take action to ensure it does not happen again.

"As far as we are concerned there is no justification for this infringement of the UK's rights under the Vienna Convention. Official correspondence and diplomatic bags are inviolable."

Frictions over the disputed territory have been rising since the construction of an artificial reef by the Gibraltar government earlier this year, which the Spanish said interfered with their fishermen.

Tighter border controls imposed by Spain led to long delays at frontier

Madrid responded by imposing tighter border controls, leading to long delays at the frontier.

Earlier this month, the Spanish ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office over what was said to be an unauthorised incursion into Gibraltarian waters by a Spanish survey vessel.

It was the third time the Spanish ambassador had been publicly summoned over the Gibraltar issue since the current Spanish government took office in December 2011.

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