"Improve the beach at El Castillo, or action will be taken" say local businessmen.

If the go ahead has not been given for the proposed improvements to Caleta de Fuste beach by March 2nd, then local businessmen and residents of Caleta intend to bring the island to a standstill.

The Association of Empresarios de Costa Antigua (AECA) announced that if there was no sign of the commencement of the work to regenerate the main beach in El Castillo (Caleta de Fuste) they would protest by among other things organising a demonstration that would "stop the Island". The president of AECA, Eduardo van der Veent, indicated this action would take place at a meeting held at the Barcelo Hotel on January 9th 2007.

The meeting was attended by the businessmen of the town as well as Juan José Cazorla, the mayor of Antigua, Mario Cabrera, President of the Cabildo, Raimundo Domínguez the Director General of the Department for the promotion of Tourism of the Canarian Government, and technicians and representatives of the Department responsible for coasts (costas), part of the Department of the Environment.

Juan José Cazorla, explained that this project had been under discussion for over 20 years, but though the ayuntamiento had spent some 80 million pesetas on the project, it had ultimately been blocked by Costas.

The mayor indicated that the ayuntamiento was fully supportive of the Caleta businesses in their just demands (that the beach be renoveated), because 5,000 people make their living directly or indirectly from the beach and the delays can no longer be permitted.

Caleta is one of the most important tourist venues on Fuerteventura and attracts over 300.000 tourists per year, and improvements to the beach have been under discussion for 27 years.

The Department of the environment has given the green light to the proposal, but said the work could not be gin until the end of the year. The local businessmen were not happy to accept promises for after the elections, because they believe the project may be shelved yet again.

One of the local businessmen summed up the situation by stating that "The problem is a political one and the citizens pay for it."

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