SPAIN/GIBRALTAR (Agencies) The national Senate recently rejected a motion proposed by the Partido Popular (PP) that requested the Government to renew bilateral talks with the UK "without leaving the matter of sovereignty aside." Rejected by 13 No votes against 12 Yes, the debate took place the day before the Foreign Minister, Trinidad Jiménez, was to meet her British counterpart William Hague in London for talks on taking up the Tripartite Forum again. Senator José Carracao (PSOE), who heads the subject of Gibraltar in the senior Chamber, said that the motion was "inextact and anachronistic" and its objective to "wear the government out and imply that we renounce positions on Gibraltar taken by previous governments." The Tripartite Forum is a framework "for cooperation that includes the local government of Gibraltar but it iss not a process about sovereignty," added the Senator. "The PP cannot ignore these facts and have the pople of Spain believing that the gates are open to negotiate [on sovereignty].">As to the matter of the 'territorial waters' around the Rock, Carracao defended the government's position: "We have always said these are Spanish waters and even applied an LIC (Lugar de Importancia Comunitaria, or SCI, Site of Community Importance). The UK for its part maintains its position, but I believe the subject can be frozen so that we can reach agreement and achieve cooperation with policing and prevention of accidents at sea."
On the Senate floor, Carracao also denied that Spanish shipping is being harrassed by security forces from the Rock, although he did admite there were "conflicts" on the subject. He added that Gibraltar is "complying with European directives on fiscal matters and is working towards transparency."
For his part, PP Deputy José Ignacio Landaluce (now also a mayoral candidate for Algeciras), asked Minister Jiménez to take "a photo of Gibraltar that is not limited to the Rock but includes the area around it," to the talks with Hague.
On the Senate floor, Carracao also denied that Spanish shipping is being harrassed by security forces from the Rock, although he did admite there were "conflicts" on the subject. He added that Gibraltar is "complying with European directives on fiscal matters and is working towards transparency."
For his part, PP Deputy José Ignacio Landaluce (now also a mayoral candidate for Algeciras), asked Minister Jiménez to take "a photo of Gibraltar that is not limited to the Rock but includes the area around it," to the talks with Hague.
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