Wednesday 18 January 2012

Picardo: 'I am not in favour of the frontier not existing'

New Spanish government wants to return to Brussels Process talks
GIBRALTAR In an recent interview for Europa Sur, newly installed Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said that the frontier is an obstacle, a problem for those who cross from one side to the other every day. "It would be good if the frontier operated like any other international  frontier, with red and green streams. I believe that is the way people from either side would like," he added. "I am not in favour of the frontier not existing, it must exist. There are many possibilities between it being a line on the ground and a place of daily confrontation." About the Tripartite Forum, the Chief Minister said that although the new government in Spain has mentioned that it is willing to return to talks prior to the Forum, to renew the Brussels Process where it was left off (when the PP lost the elections to the PSOE - the PP now being returned to Governement again) he would not agree with changing its structure in any way. He emphasised, though, that his new (Socialist) Government's position regarding bilateral (i.e. Spain and UK only) talks on the Rock's sovereignty "are over and will never be renewed." The UK, he added, has said clearly that it would only reopen sovereignty negotiations if the people of Gibraltar requested it.

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