La Línea, a town of 65,000 people, the signs of hardship are almost everywhere. One of every six residents is unemployed. Swept into the excesses of Spain’s construction boom, it is more than $135 million in debt

At Border Town in Spain, a Toll Imperils Rapprochement - NYTimes.com: "La Línea, a town of 65,000 people, the signs of hardship are almost everywhere. One of every six residents is unemployed. Swept into the excesses of Spain’s construction boom, it is more than $135 million in debt and began falling behind on paying its workers last summer.

Mr. Sánchez inherited the mess when his predecessor was forced to step down last year.

At first, Mr. Sánchez championed the airport deal, which the Spanish government and Gibraltar signed in 2006, as a boon to the local economy. But these days he just wants to see the town get paid for its land.

“This is one of our most valuable assets,” Mr. Sánchez said. “And we have other possibilities for the use of that land.” He is waiting for Spain to make him a reasonable offer.

His demands are not making him any friends in Madrid. Mr. Sánchez, who belongs to Spain’s opposition People’s Party, received a tongue-lashing recently from Salvador de la Encina, a member of Parliament from Cádiz with an interest in infrastructure issues. He has said that Spain will deliver on its agreement “with or without Mr. Sánchez.”"

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