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20140511_wesun_the_squabble_that_never_ends_britain_and_spain_duel_over_gibraltar.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1124&d=263&p=10&story=306861136&t=progseg&e=311521440&seg=4&ft=nprml&f=306861136

One recent morning, a mile-long line of cars waited to cross the international border separating Spain from Britain's Rock of Gibraltar. Spanish border guards were stopping every car, resulting in long lines that could take up to six hours to cross.

Spain said it was checking for tobacco smuggling across the international border. But these increased checks were Spain's retaliation in a spat over fishing rights and access to nearby waters, said Brian Reyes, news editor at the local newspaper, the Gibraltar Chronicle.

"Fishing with nets is illegal in Gibraltar waters. The Gibraltar government enforced that law — to the anger of Spanish fishermen," Reyes explained. "Britain claims three miles of water around the rock, and Spain says Gibraltar has no waters. That's the key to this issue. It's not about fishing — it's about jurisdiction."

And so it goes at this iconic spot where legend says that Hercules separated the continents, Europe from Africa.

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