BC FISH CANADA 2NDLD (CORRECTED)/Canada angrily denies it harassed Spanish ships

By Robert Kozak

OTTAWA Canada angrily rejected European Union charges on Thursday that its patrol boats had again tried to seize Spanish fishing trawlers and cut their nets in international waters off Canada's east coast.

Canada also called in EU Ambassador John Beck and telephoned three other European ambassadors, saying the Union was foolish and irresponsible to accept allegations by a Spanish captain that Canada tried to harass the Spanish vessels late on Wednesday night local time.

"We know now that the person making foreign policy on

behalf of the European Union is some Spanish fishing captain

floating around somewhere off the coast of Newfoundland,"

Canadian Fisheries Minister Brian Tobin told reporters.

The European Commission called in Canada's ambassador in

Brussels on Thursday to protest what it called hostile and

illegal actions.

Tensions have been high since March 9 when Canadian patrol

boats seized a Spanish trawler after firing across its bow,

alleging the vessel was overfishing. The boat was later freed

after its owners posted a bond with a Newfoundland court.

Canada later cut the nets of another Spanish trawler as

talks to settle the dispute dragged on.

Canada said three of its patrol boats tried to identify

six Spanish fishing vessels in a area known as the tail of the

Grand Banks off the coast of Newfoundland late on Wednesday.

But Tobin denied charges they had tried to seize any vessels.

"If that were the intention of Canada, we have

demonstrated our ability to do both, and such an action could

have and would have been carried out," he said.

The allegations heightened tensions as the EU and Canada

both reported making progress towards reaching a deal on

sharing quotas for Greenland halibut, also known as turbot.

A Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the government

had summoned Ambassador Beck and then phoned the ambassadors

of Germany, France and Spain to inform them of the

conversation.

Canadian officials have hinted they have harassed the

Spanish trawlers, making it more difficult for them to fish.

In a sharply worded statement in Brussels, the EU

executive accused Canada of a "further flagrant violation of

international law on the high seas."

Spanish fishing trawlers have continued to fish in

disputed fishing zones while diplomats have hammered out the

tentative deal in Brussels. A draft agreement could be

presented to EU foreign ministers on Monday.

Officials have been working to reach a new regime to

reallocate quotas for the Greenland halibut. But Spain has

objected to certain aspects of the deal and threatened to

scuttle any agreement unless the EU gets half the permitted

29,700 ton (27,000 metric tonne) 1995 catch of Greenland

halibut.

The two have also argued over a law that Canada passed

last year to give it the right to seize vessels outside its

200 nautical mile limit if fish stocks are in danger. The EU

and Spain reject Ottawa's claim of jurisdiction on the high

seas.