Conference tallis::celt

138.0. "Britain plans to extend waters" by TALLIS::DARCY (George @Littleton Mass USA) Fri Feb 20 1987 10:48

    As reported in the 2/15/87 Sunday Press, the British are now once again
    asserting their muscle as they propose to extend their territorial
    waters from 3 miles to 12 miles.  This has several bad implications
    for the Irish, namely:
    
    1)  The Northern Channel between NI and Scotland will be entirely
    under British control, leaving Irish shipping with no neutral passage
    to the Atlantic from the Irish Sea.
    
    2)  Ferry operators between Wales and Ireland will have a reduced
    duty free zone in which to sell goods.
    
    3)  The surrender of Irish rights to thousands of miles of fishing
    grounds in the area.
    
    4)  Most importantly, the disputed Island of Rockall, a barren outcrop
    100 miles of the north west coast of NI, will be protected by the
    wider zone.  This area has known lucrative oil deposits.
    
    Britain's motive in this little-known plan is purely economic.  Britain
    wants undisputed access to the oil deposits around Rockall.  Ireland
    has a much better claim to the waters, as pointed out in the Press:
    
    John O'Halloran, secretary of the National Cooperative Council of
    Ireland asserts "We believe that these waters around the counties
    Down, Antrim, and Derry are under jurisdiction of Dublin, not London
    because under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act of 1920
    and the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 all 32 counties were ceded to
    the Provisional Government, subject to the right of the Six Counties
    to opt out within one month."
   
    -george

    This is nothing unusuaL. The Brits have nothing else to do at the
    moment and as they did in the Malvinas for the exact same reason.
    
    They are robbers. History has shown that they robbed every country
    they ever ruled. Ireland for its agrictural products to support
    their wars in India etc.
    
    Lets see if it goes to the International Court what will happen.
    The Brits make me sick and sicker every day. 
    
    Charlie will hopefully sort them out not that the Brit lover Garret
    is out. Hopefully the Anglo-Irish agreement goes. Any treaty that
    involved extraditing an Irishman or woman to N.I. or Britain is
    totally out for me. They don't have a chance under the Brits system
    of justice (Laugh, Laugh).
    
    
    Rene

    
    
    	Rock on Rockall, you'll never fall   !!!
    
    
    	May the Seagull's rise and pluck their eyes.
    
    
    
    	keVin
    
    

    I read recently that the Irish have done satellite surveys of these
    waters and discovered the original surveys by GB are in error and
    Ireland actually already owns some oil rigs etc! Ha! Ed