The latest round of Brexit trade talks between the UK and EU finished a day early this week, with significant differences still remaining between the two sides. A statement from the UK's chief negotiator David Frost confirmed he is still committed to coming to a principle agreement for a future trade deal this month. This round of talks was the first to be held face-to-face since March, which, according to Mr Frost, injected extra depth and flexibility to our discussions\".<\/p>\n
However, negotiations are still at a standstill in several key areas.<\/p>\n
Sticking points between the two sides include the so-called \"level-playing field\" to ensure businesses on one side don't have an unfair advantage over the other fishing rules and the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
As tensions are set to rise in the incoming weeks, unearthed reports shed light on what could be another tortuous Brexit battle.<\/p>\n
The Irish border is one prominent area but another is Rockall a rock with a colourful history of claim and counterclaim involving the UK.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Rockall is situated in a remote part of the North Atlantic and is about 160 nautical miles west of the Scottish islands of St. Kilda and 230 nautical miles to the north-west of Donegal.<\/p>\n
The uninhabited rock is 25 metres wide and 17 metres high and is actually the remnants of an extinct volcano.<\/p>\n
The tiny islet has been the source of an ownership dispute involving the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Iceland.<\/p>\n
The dispute has not been so much about the ownership of the rock but the potential for oil and gas reserves in the surrounding seabeds and the lucrative fishing grounds.<\/p>\n
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Rockall fishing is reportedly a multi-million-pound industry with a large supply of haddock, monkfish, and squid.<\/p>\n
According to a recent report by IrishCentral, last year, Scottish authorities claimed that Rockall was a UK territory and attempted to prevent Irish fishermen from coming within the 12-mile international limit.<\/p>\n
The Irish government, on the other hand, contended that the island was not subject to an international boundary as it was simply a large, uninhabitable rock in the middle of the ocean.<\/p>\n
Irish claims are backed up by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) 1982.<\/p>\n
The law states that rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf.<\/p>\n
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Consequently, Irish boats have fished in the area for well over 30 years.<\/p>\n
The Scottish Government, in turn, claimed that it has never been legal for other nations to fish within 12 miles of the islet.<\/p>\n
The UK first claimed ownership of Rockall in 1955, but Ireland, Iceland, and Denmark have long challenged that ownership.<\/p>\n
Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney took a firm stance on the issue in June last year and said that Ireland had never recognised British claims to the island.<\/p>\n
He said: \"We have never recognised UK sovereignty over Rockall and accordingly, we have not recognised a territorial sea around it either. We have tried to work positively with the Scottish authorities and to deal with sensitive issues that flow from it in a spirit of kinship and collaboration.\"<\/p>\n
Scotland's Fisheries Minister Fergus Ewing told BBC Scotland at the time: \"This is a routine enforcement matter to ensure that illegal activity within the UK's territorial waters, namely within a radius of 12 miles of the islet of Rockall, ceases.<\/p>\n
\"We have been engaging with the Irish government for a considerable length of time because we would prefer that this matter is resolved by discussion and negotiation amicably, and that remains the case.\"<\/p>\n
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Brexit fishing battle: Britain and Ireland 'to clash over ownership of tiny rock' - Express.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The latest round of Brexit trade talks between the UK and EU finished a day early this week, with significant differences still remaining between the two sides. A statement from the UK's chief negotiator David Frost confirmed he is still committed to coming to a principle agreement for a future trade deal this month. Continue reading