'Listen to the Falkland Islanders: Drop Your Claim!’ says Chief Minister

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo

GIBRALTAR (Govertnment press release) "Following a referendum in which the people of the Falkland Islands voted overwhelmingly to remain British, Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo has shown his, and Gibraltar’s, unqualified support for the people of the Falkland Islands. ‘It is clear to the whole world that the people of the Falklands have made a powerful and  robust statement,’ said Mr Picardo. ‘The outcome of this referendum is proof, if any were  needed, of the unanimous desire of this Overseas Territory to remain British. ‘The Falklands Islanders have spoken loud and clear – and they are the only ones whose opinion matters. The United Nations guarantees that the people of self-governing  territories have an ‘Inalienable Right to Self-Determination’ and, for that reason, the world  must listen to the people of the Falklands in their fight against Argentina’s nationalism and sabre-rattling.  ‘The Argentinian Government must now realize – whatever it may say in public to save  face – that the Falklands will stay British for so long as its people desire. Argentina must  therefore now drop its claim to the Islands!  ‘As ever, we in Gibraltar stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of the Falklands as  they always have with us. Neither they, nor we, will ever surrender!’ "

Foundation proposes 'strategic turnaround for Gibraltar'

'A Strategy for Gibraltar'

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR A Spanish foundation called Ciudadanía y Valores (FUNCIVA, Citizenship and Values) on Friday presented a report that proposes, to the Spanish government and political parties, a pact that would lead to "stability and a long-term" strategy towards Gibraltar. Included are such measures as the creation of a new forum and re-opening the Spanish Consulate on the Rock. This, says the report, would give the Campo de Gibraltar more "political and fiscal weight" that would allow it to compete with Gibraltar and make any future status changes there more attractive. The report also asks that more pressure be placed in international forums, to diminish the fiscal privileges now enjoyed by Gibraltar, and that it becomes integrated into Europe so that the frontier ceases to have any meaning.>>>

Prince Edward and Sophie to visit Gibraltar

GIBRALTAR (Agencies)  The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, are scheduled to visit Gibraltar of June 11 for a three-day visit. The royal visit is part of the celebrations for the Queen's Jubilee throughout the Commonwealth. According to GBC, among the events the Earl and Countess will attend are a parade and a dinner, both to be held on the day following their arrival. It is expected that the population of Gibraltar will come out in force as a way of showing its loyalty to Britain. The reaction in Spain, on the other hand, is likely to have the visit seen as a provocation, particularly by politicians, many of whom have in  the past used royal visits as a means of raising tensions regarding the sovereignty of the Rock and its waters. (See GBC Newswatch report)

Rajoy says he is working towards a 'Spanish Gibraltar'

Mariano Rajoy

JAÉN / Andújar (Agencies) At a party meeting this weekend, Premier Mariano Rajoy was interrupted during his speech by a member shouting out "¡Gibraltar español!" ('Spanish Gibraltar!'), whom he answered with "We're onto it. We're onto it." The interruption happened as he was enumerating the autonomous regions of Spain, and Ceuta and Melilla (two Spanish enclaves in North Africa that enjoy the status of provinces). Rajoy had a meeting in London recently with his British counterpart, David Cameron, who made it clear that the UK would never enter negotiations without the approval of the people of Gibraltar (which is extremely unlikely, at least for now). However, Rajoy's Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel García-Margallo, continues to call for the renewal "as soon as possible" of the bilateral talks (i.e. Spain and Britain) known as the Brussels Process, which was suspended in 2002. (See also Cameron refuses to talk about sovereignty with Rajoy, and Gibraltar, a 'marginal' item at Rajoy-Cameron meeting) (Prospero note: please do not fear any change soon, these and many other talks have been going on for centuries, so the status quo is likely to remain so for a long while yet.)

Cameron refuses to talk about sovereignty with Rajoy

Main item on agenda: the euro crisis
LONDON (Agencies) British Prime Minister David Cameron refused to talk about the sovereignty of Gibraltar with his Spanish counterpart, Mariano Rajoy, when the latter visited him yesterday at No. 10. The fact was not unexpected as Rajoy had announced his intentions but Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague had already said that the subject would not come up 'without the approval of the people of Gibraltar'. At the press conference after the meeting, Cameron said that there was no change in the Government's position, while Rajoy is quoted as saying that they "had different positions but we will talk in the future."

Rajoy to bring up sovereignty with Cameron today

(Photo: travelpod)

'Constructive dialogue' on Gibraltar's future on the agenda

SPAIN/GIBRALTAR/UK (Agencies) Spain's Premier, Mariano Rajoy is in London today for a meeting with his British counterpart, James Cameron. While the EuroZone crisis heads the agenda, Rajoy intends to bring up the subject of Gibraltar sovereignty in what a pres release calls a 'constructive dialogue'. Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel García-Margallo had already told Britain's William Hague of Spain's intention of doing so, though only bilaterally, despite Britain's unwillingness to talks without including Gibraltar.

Gibraltar, a 'marginal' item at Rajoy - Cameron meeting

Spanish Government says it isn't even sure if the subject will arise

MADRID (Agencies) Spain's new Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, is to meet his British counterpart, David Cameron, in London on February 21st. The main items on the agenda are the European Union and the economy, while the subject of Gibraltar is considered 'marginal' by a Foreign Ministry spokesperson who could not be sure that the matter would be raised at all. This despite the fact that the Foreign Minister, José Manuel García-Margallo officially requested London to again take up the bilateral (Brussels Process) talks regarding the sovereignty of the Rock. The latter, of course, was dealt with by David Lidington, Minister for Europe, who said no such talks would take place without the consent of the people of Gibraltar.

Picardo to Spain: 'Stop talking about sovereignty and concentrate on unemployment'

In the 21st Century, both sides should work together
GIBRALTAR (Agencies) on an extended interview for ABC Punto Radio, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo recently advised Spain to concentrate  on its five million unemployed and not on 'a historical claim' on the Rock. He added that the people of Gibraltar would never agree to reopen talks on the subject. Translated from the Spanish as reported in Europa Sur, he said, "With over five million unemployed I'm under the impression that Spain has other more important priorities than historic claims over my people. I think it's a quixotic claim and a subject for (the) history (books)." For the Chief Minister, the solution to the problem is that "Spain accept reality and the right of our inhabitants to decide on their future," a position backed by the British Government. He said that, in the 21st Century, both sides should "work together" and invited Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, José García-Margallo to visit the Rock in order to understand the reality of his "small nation." Picardo went on to remind the listeners that between 6,000 and 7,000 Spaniards work in Gibraltar, while only a handful of Gibraltarians do so on the other side of the frontier.

Gibraltar accepts expanding Forum to include Campo

(Photo: NASA)

Forum to lose 'tripartite' aspect

GIBRALTAR (Agencies) While David Lidington, UK Secretary of State for Europe, was in Madrid confirming what he had announced early last year, that sovereignty of Gibraltar was not under discussion and would never be without the approval of the people of the Rock, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo was saying that his government had no problem including the Campo de Gibraltar in the Forum, as long as Gibraltar continued to join the talks with its own delegation, separate from that of the UK. This, at any rate, was what a spokesperson for Picardo said in response to a proposal from the new PP government in Madrid, which announced the end of the 'tripartite' talks, also called Foro de Diálogo (Forum of Dialogue). Nonetheless, the talks are now open to a fourth member, named as 'Spanish regional authorities' without specifying that it meant the Campo de Gibraltar area. It should be added that, having been created in 2004 to deal with local cooperation matters, the Forum has been in suspense since 2010, when then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trinidad Jiménez, put it aside as the then Chief Minister Peter Caruana insisted on including the subject of sovereignty, something Madrid insists is only debatable between London and Madrid.

'Where does Gibraltar go from here?

GIBRALTAR An article by David Eade under the above title in Gibraltar View Point starts like this: "The recent revelations in the Hain book (Outside In, by Peter Hain, Biteback Publishing, Ltd.) coupled with the Brussels Process and rumours of other Conservative Government plotting with Spain tells us one simple fact: given the opportunity London would clinch a deal with Madrid over Gibraltar. That applies to whoever is in power and Cameron would snatch a deal as readily as Blair or Thatcher." There's a great deal more and a very well reasoned point of view on the subject - worth reading, indeed.

PP to request renewal of sovereignty talks

(Photo: gibnet.com)

'Talks should count on the equal participation of the people on both sides of the frontier'

SPAIN / GIBRALTAR (Agencies) The Partido Popular has requested the Government to ask the UK to renew talks on sovereignty of Gibraltar, 'something that is irrenounceable to our country,' it says. This at any rate is the proposal that is being taken to the party's XVII National Congress. It is signed by several PP bosses: the presidents of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre; Murcia, Ramón Luis Valcárcel and Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas. The text of the proposal says, among a lot more, that 'every opportunity should be seized to propose renewal of the talks with the UK Government, aimed at recovering sovereignty of Gibraltar by Spain.' This should be done "according to the UN mandate, which urges the governments of the UK and Spain to resolve their differences over Gibraltar.' The party does not specifically mention the Tripartite Forum that was created by the PSOE when it came to power in 2004 and which met periodically to deal with local cooperation matters but setting the thorny subject of sovereignty aside. The Forum brought the three main interested parties together; Gibraltar, Britain and Spain each had its own delegation, something the PP has always criticized because 'it gave a voice and a vote to Gibraltar'. The Forum is 'in suspense' at the moment, but the PP proposal says that regional cooperation 'is welcome and presents advantages to local inhabitants.'>>>

Spain won't talk about sovereignty; no change there, then

Gibraltarian sentiment

GIBRALTAR (By Alberto Bullrich) The electoral tables have turned in Gibraltar as well as Spain, both places changing the colour of their respective governments. The winners on the Rock, the GSLP/Lib Alliance, are well known to their opposition of any talks on the sovereignty of their homeland. And after the elections in Spain, the winners there (PP) announced that they foresaw an end to the Tripartite Forum because it had never agreed with Gibraltar's participation at the same level as Spain and Gibraltar. The PP, however, say that it would be useful to carry on with the direct London/Madrid (i.e. minus Gibraltar) talks  that were (so rudely?) interrupted in 2002 by losing the elections that brought the PSOE  to power.>>>

Picardo repeats to UN: Gibraltar will never be Spanish

GIBRALTAR (Source: Spanish agencies) The GSLP-GLP leader and candidate, Fabian Picardo, addressed the UN's Decolonization Committee recently. He said unequivocally, "Gibraltar will never be Spanish" and the future of the colony "is not in shared sovereignty nor in the transference of sovereignty from one colonial power to another." Having stated that he represents a new generation of Gibraltarian politicians, he added that his position on sovereignty remains the same as that of his predecessor, Joe Bossano. In what is a clearly electoral posture, Picardo faced the UN committee for the first time, sprinkling his speech with references to sovereignty of the Rock. (Read the whole speech on The Gibraltar Chronicle.)

Britain has received 14 complaints from Spain about landfills

(Photo: Europa Sur)

GIBRALTAR/UK/SPAIN (Agencies) The Spanish Government has delivered 14 verbal, but official, complaints to the United Kingdom regarding the landfills being carried out in Gibraltar, according to PSOE Deputy Salvador de la Encina yesterday. In a press note the Socialist deputy said that Spain will continue along these lines, particularly since the announcement that Gibraltar aimed to recover 90,000m2 for industrial development. De la Encina warned against the "environmental impact" of this kind of project and pointed out that the Spanish Government is clear in its position on matters of sovereignty>>>

Lidington closes door on negotiations on sovereignty

GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle) Britain's Minister for Europe, David Lidington, stated yesterday in Gibraltar that there was no commitment to raise the question of sovereignty with Spain, about which there is an "historical debate." During his meeting with Chief Minister Peter Caruana at 6, Convent Place, the Conservative MP repeated that London will not reach any agreements, nor enter into any conversations with Madrid against the wishes of Gibraltarians, "who pronounced themsleves clearly on the subject in 2002. The United Kingdom and Spain are allies and have a strong relationship. There is permanent contact because there are many bilateral matters about which to speak, but not on sovereignty.">

Spain will not negotiate sovereignty with Gibraltar

SPAIN/UK/GIBRALTAR (Agencies) The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trinidad Jiménez, said at a Senate control session today that Spain will not negotiate with Gibraltar over sovereignty because "the only two fundamental parties are Spain and Britain." Responding to a question from the PSOE spokesman on the subject, Senator José Carracao, she added that this had always been Spain's position on the subject, and would continue to be so. She nevertheless defended the continuation of the Tripartite Forum, which "has created numerous advances in terms of cooperation." Chief Minister Peter Caruana said recently that the Forum was 'useless', according to media reports.(The photo is of a street in Torrijos, Toledo, one of many similarly named streets in the country.)

Gibraltar Governor urges 'firmness with courtesy' on incursion into waters

GIBRALTAR
(Gibraltar Chronicle) Sir Adrian Johns, the Governor of Gibraltar, said Spanish incursions into British waters must be dealt with “firmly but courteously”, both at sea and through diplomatic channels. Sir Adrian, who held a senior post in the Royal Navy prior to his posting here, also warned of the potential for “misunderstanding and miscalculation” and said better lines of communication were needed. The Governor was speaking to GBC in the wake of a string of incidents at sea last week involving tense stand-offs between Gibraltar-based marine units and the Guardia Civil. “My view, and I would say this as the representative of the head of state here, is that sovereignty is very close to my heart,” he said. “I believe that any incursions into the waters need to be challenged on the spot, firmly but courteously, and also need to challenge them politically, again firmly but courteously.”>