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WIKILEAKS REVEAL ODYSSEY TENSION
Sept. 13, 2011 / http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=22685
Leaked US diplomatic correspondence has laid bare the strain that the Odyssey controversy placed on bilateral relations between the UK and Spain.
The cable from the US embassy in Madrid to the Secretary of State in Washington was sent in 2007 shortly after Odyssey Marine Exploration returned to Gibraltar with a valuable treasure it had recovered in the Atlantic.
Spain claimed the “Black Swan” treasure and the presence of two Odyssey ships in the military base in Gibraltar prompted angry diplomatic exchanges at a time when Britain, Spain and Gibraltar were attempting to negotiate important agreements under the trilateral forum for dialogue.
On June 26 of that year, Britain´s then ambassador in Madrid, Denise Holt, paid a courtesy call on her US counterpart, Eduardo Aguirre, and spoke about the case in detail.
She said “...tensions with Spain over Odyssey were continuing to pose an unnecessary threat on the two countries´ bilateral relationship,” the cable noted.
“The British Embassy in Madrid is now intent in distancing themselves as much as possible from the dispute between Odyssey and Spain,” it added.
“Having suffered the brunt of the backlash both in the press and with their interactions with GoS, Ambassador Holt wants to salvage their relationship and improve cooperation between the two countries on the sensitive matter of Gibraltar.”
“The Ambassadors agreed that the Odyssey “treasure find” should not weaken bilateral relations between three allies and that both countries should encourage Odyssey and Spain to find a satisfactory solution to the dispute..”
Part of Spain´s concern was that the treasure had been flown from Gibraltar to Florida and officials in Madrid, initially at least, suspected that British authorities had aided the company. Likewise the two Odyssey ships were berthed in the Ministry of Defence naval base, where they had been regular callers for many years, prompting further suspicions.
Mrs Holt told the US ambassador that Britain was in no way linked to the Black Swan haul and that the only link was the contractual agreement with the MoD to salvage the wreck of an English galleon, HMS Sussex, which lay off Gibraltar.
She told Mr Aguirre that Britain´s contract with Odyssey would be reviewed “in an attempt to terminate” it.
“Holt noted that she would be describing to London the impact that the Odyssey controversy was having locally on bilateral relations (as well as on Gibraltar issues),” the cable said.
“She confirmed that though the two Odyssey vessels were in port in Gibraltar, the British would not aid the vessels when and if they should sail out.”
Both vessels sailed from the Rock some weeks after the cable was sent and both were detained by Spanish authorities in international waters and taken to Algeciras, where they were searched and later released.
Spain´s claim over the Black Swan treasure is still the subject of a legal wrangle in the US. A court has ruled that the haul should be returned to Spain but Odyssey appealed and a decision is still pending.
The US cable outlining the meeting with ambassador Holt is among the cache of documents dumped on the internet a fortnight ago by the whistleblower website Wikileaks. There are several cables from Madrid to Washington analysing aspects of the Odyssey case.
In an email to the Chronicle last week, Odyssey defended its handling of the Black Swan case and said it wanted good relations with all the governments involved.
“We concur with the Ambassador’s stated objective that Odyssey and Spain should ´find a satisfactory solution to the dispute´,” said Aladar Nesser, the company´s director of international business.
“From early on, Odyssey has made every effort to satisfy Spain’s concerns regarding the discovery of the “Black Swan” site, and to reach a mutually satisfactory solution.”
“The 2007 “Black Swan” controversy mentioned in the cable was generated by individuals with ulterior motives who wished to drive a wedge between the UK Government, Gibraltar and Odyssey.”
“Specifically, gullible media sources falsely reported that the Black Swan site was in Spanish territorial waters in the Mediterranean, when in fact Odyssey made it clear that the site was in the Atlantic Ocean outside of the territorial waters of any country.”
Mr Nesser said Odyssey’s discovery of the Black Swan site had no connection to the UK Government, nor with the Sussex project.
He said any attempt to couple the two issues was the result of the widespread misinformation at the time of the controversy.
As for the company´s relationship with the British government, he said it remained “strong and ongoing”. He highlighted projects subsequent to the Black Swan controversy including the work on the wreck of Admiral Balchin´s HMS Victory and a recently-negotiated contract for the recovery of silver coins from the SS Gairsoppa, a British merchant ship torpedoed during World War II.
And while the Sussex project remained on hold as a result for the moment, the contract with the MoD remained in place according to Mr Nesser, who prior to joining Odyssey with the US naval attache in Gibraltar.
“Odyssey plans to resume exploration of the Sussex site in accordance with the UK government-approved exploration plan when possible, and the company has received no indication whatsoever from the UK Government that there is any intention to alter that 20-year contract for that project,” he added.
Sept. 13, 2011 / http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=22685
Leaked US diplomatic correspondence has laid bare the strain that the Odyssey controversy placed on bilateral relations between the UK and Spain.
The cable from the US embassy in Madrid to the Secretary of State in Washington was sent in 2007 shortly after Odyssey Marine Exploration returned to Gibraltar with a valuable treasure it had recovered in the Atlantic.
Spain claimed the “Black Swan” treasure and the presence of two Odyssey ships in the military base in Gibraltar prompted angry diplomatic exchanges at a time when Britain, Spain and Gibraltar were attempting to negotiate important agreements under the trilateral forum for dialogue.
On June 26 of that year, Britain´s then ambassador in Madrid, Denise Holt, paid a courtesy call on her US counterpart, Eduardo Aguirre, and spoke about the case in detail.
She said “...tensions with Spain over Odyssey were continuing to pose an unnecessary threat on the two countries´ bilateral relationship,” the cable noted.
“The British Embassy in Madrid is now intent in distancing themselves as much as possible from the dispute between Odyssey and Spain,” it added.
“Having suffered the brunt of the backlash both in the press and with their interactions with GoS, Ambassador Holt wants to salvage their relationship and improve cooperation between the two countries on the sensitive matter of Gibraltar.”
“The Ambassadors agreed that the Odyssey “treasure find” should not weaken bilateral relations between three allies and that both countries should encourage Odyssey and Spain to find a satisfactory solution to the dispute..”
Part of Spain´s concern was that the treasure had been flown from Gibraltar to Florida and officials in Madrid, initially at least, suspected that British authorities had aided the company. Likewise the two Odyssey ships were berthed in the Ministry of Defence naval base, where they had been regular callers for many years, prompting further suspicions.
Mrs Holt told the US ambassador that Britain was in no way linked to the Black Swan haul and that the only link was the contractual agreement with the MoD to salvage the wreck of an English galleon, HMS Sussex, which lay off Gibraltar.
She told Mr Aguirre that Britain´s contract with Odyssey would be reviewed “in an attempt to terminate” it.
“Holt noted that she would be describing to London the impact that the Odyssey controversy was having locally on bilateral relations (as well as on Gibraltar issues),” the cable said.
“She confirmed that though the two Odyssey vessels were in port in Gibraltar, the British would not aid the vessels when and if they should sail out.”
Both vessels sailed from the Rock some weeks after the cable was sent and both were detained by Spanish authorities in international waters and taken to Algeciras, where they were searched and later released.
Spain´s claim over the Black Swan treasure is still the subject of a legal wrangle in the US. A court has ruled that the haul should be returned to Spain but Odyssey appealed and a decision is still pending.
The US cable outlining the meeting with ambassador Holt is among the cache of documents dumped on the internet a fortnight ago by the whistleblower website Wikileaks. There are several cables from Madrid to Washington analysing aspects of the Odyssey case.
In an email to the Chronicle last week, Odyssey defended its handling of the Black Swan case and said it wanted good relations with all the governments involved.
“We concur with the Ambassador’s stated objective that Odyssey and Spain should ´find a satisfactory solution to the dispute´,” said Aladar Nesser, the company´s director of international business.
“From early on, Odyssey has made every effort to satisfy Spain’s concerns regarding the discovery of the “Black Swan” site, and to reach a mutually satisfactory solution.”
“The 2007 “Black Swan” controversy mentioned in the cable was generated by individuals with ulterior motives who wished to drive a wedge between the UK Government, Gibraltar and Odyssey.”
“Specifically, gullible media sources falsely reported that the Black Swan site was in Spanish territorial waters in the Mediterranean, when in fact Odyssey made it clear that the site was in the Atlantic Ocean outside of the territorial waters of any country.”
Mr Nesser said Odyssey’s discovery of the Black Swan site had no connection to the UK Government, nor with the Sussex project.
He said any attempt to couple the two issues was the result of the widespread misinformation at the time of the controversy.
As for the company´s relationship with the British government, he said it remained “strong and ongoing”. He highlighted projects subsequent to the Black Swan controversy including the work on the wreck of Admiral Balchin´s HMS Victory and a recently-negotiated contract for the recovery of silver coins from the SS Gairsoppa, a British merchant ship torpedoed during World War II.
And while the Sussex project remained on hold as a result for the moment, the contract with the MoD remained in place according to Mr Nesser, who prior to joining Odyssey with the US naval attache in Gibraltar.
“Odyssey plans to resume exploration of the Sussex site in accordance with the UK government-approved exploration plan when possible, and the company has received no indication whatsoever from the UK Government that there is any intention to alter that 20-year contract for that project,” he added.
