Foreign Minister Josep Pique has accused Britain of having underestimated the extent of the damage to its nuclear submarine docked in the British colony of Gibraltar.
In the latest round of what has been a long-running row over the sub, Pique told a political meeting late Saturday: "The breakdown was accurately identified, but it was much greater than the British authorities thought."
He did not specify the exact nature of the damage to the HMS Tireless, but the Britain's defense ministry has specified a problem with the nuclear reactor cooling system.
Pique said the situation did not, however, pose "any kind of danger."
The submarine has been docked in Gibraltar, off the southern coast of Spain, since it broke down on May 19, prompting fears about safety in the surrounding area.
Britain recently recalled a dozen other submarines for safety checks.
The Spanish press picked up Sunday on a report in the British daily The Guardian, denied by British authorities, that the reactor on the Tireless had been about to seize up because of the damage.
The Spanish government is under increasing pressure from officials in the region around Gibraltar, left-wing parties and ecologists.
They want a Spanish technical team be allowed to inspect the British submarine to establish the exact extent of its damage and the risks to those living nearby -- SITGES, Spain (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
