Future of Gibraltar
Jack Straw visited Spain yesterday and attended a meeting with the Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, to discuss, among other issues, Gibraltar. The ministers agreed to open a new programme of talks about the future of Gibraltar which would have an open agenda. For the first time in the long history of bilateral talks about the sovereignty of the Rock, the Gibraltan governing party will be invited to participate in talks, and local opinion of Gibraltans will be taken into account. Meanwhile, the Spanish Government will "suspend" all sovereignty claims and concentrate on building confidence with Gibraltans.
This is the first time the Spanish and British governments have discussed Gibraltar since they fell out about the way celebrations of Gibraltar's 300 anniversary of British rule were handled this Summer. The Spanish government criticised the visits to Gibraltar of Hoon in August and Princess Anne, in June. According to the Spanish media this morning, Jack Straw told reporters that he had discussed the outcome of the meeting with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Peter Caruana, who had said he was "totally satisfied" with the agreement.
The Gibraltan press this morning are also pleased with the outcome of the talks:
Other issues agreed on during the meeting included use of Spanish airports for planes carrying passengers travelling to Gibraltar, use of Spanish ports for cruisers which stop off at Gibraltar, and further discussion of the problem of payment of pensions to Spanish pensioners who live in Gibraltar.
This is the first time the Spanish and British governments have discussed Gibraltar since they fell out about the way celebrations of Gibraltar's 300 anniversary of British rule were handled this Summer. The Spanish government criticised the visits to Gibraltar of Hoon in August and Princess Anne, in June. According to the Spanish media this morning, Jack Straw told reporters that he had discussed the outcome of the meeting with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Peter Caruana, who had said he was "totally satisfied" with the agreement.
The Gibraltan press this morning are also pleased with the outcome of the talks:
- "In the most important development on the Gibraltar question in decades Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary, and his Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos meeting in Madrid signalled what could be the start of a new process and the end of the so called 'Brussels process' - talks with an open agenda in which Gibraltar would have its voice. The statement not only echoes the often stated position of Chief Minister Peter Caruana but the Foreign Secretary confirmed that Mr Caruana had been consulted throughout on the statement yesterday afternoon. The "modalities" for this dialogue are to be agreed "by all the concerned parties", The Gibraltar Chronicle
- "The Spanish government have seen that Gibraltar is in no mood to accept a severeignty deal and take the view that a confrontational line will go nowhere.....It follows that the priority now will be to remove restrictions, having recognised that a hostile attitude by Madrid gets them nowhere", Panorama, Gibraltar's Daily.
Other issues agreed on during the meeting included use of Spanish airports for planes carrying passengers travelling to Gibraltar, use of Spanish ports for cruisers which stop off at Gibraltar, and further discussion of the problem of payment of pensions to Spanish pensioners who live in Gibraltar.
11 Comments:
I dont understand the last comment, about spanish pensioners living in gibraltar not receiving pensions.
1. very few spanish pensioners live in gibraltar( if any)
2. If they did they would be entitled to the supplimentary payment made to ALL resident pensioners.
i am sure you mean to say non gibraltar resident spanish pensioners
regards
jim wright.
Hi Jim, thanks for your comment. You're right - we made a mistake. That sentence should read "....discussion of the problem of payment of pensions to Spanish pensioners who worked in Gibraltar".
We were referring to the problem of Spaniards who used to work in Gibraltar but who have had their pensions frozen since 1987. The British Government has still not assumed responsability for the issue, while the Spanish government backs the Spanish workers who claim that they are owed backpayments worth, in total, millions of euros.
A VER CUANDO COJONES VAIS A DEJAR DE HABLAR EN INGLES, DE EXIGIR QUE SE OS HABLE EN VUESTRA PUTA LENGUA, DE ESCRIBIR, ETC ETC, DENTRO DE NUESTRO PAIS SE HABLA ,ESCRIBE ETC ESPAÑOL, ENTENDEIS, A VER SI APRENDEIS A RESPETAR OTROS PAISES, VIVA FRANCIA Y LA RUDEZA PROTECTORA QUE LES CARACTERIZA MAMONES.
PUTA INGLATERRA.
Disappointed that any website would publish the latter comment. But it nicely highlights some Spanish attitudes to its neighbours and the environment in which Gibraltarian’s have to live. I hope this minority of Spaniards that still hold a 300 year old grudge, see no hypocrisy with their governments retention of Ceuta and Mellia in Morocco and deny the democratic rights of 30,000 people, will catch up with the rest of their population whom embrace all that is good about their nation and the liberties they have son recently gained.
I agree about the offensive nature of the latter comment, but this is a weblog, so if you accept comments in general, you have to accept all of them. Not just the ones you agree with. Blogs are, by nature, uncensorable. However the author of the nasty piece in Spanish would seem to be reactionary and racist, a relic of right-wing facism and, as such, he/she is certainly not representative of most modern and democratic Spaniards, amongst which I feel one. Let us solve the Gibraltar issue (and yes, Ceuta and Melilla too, why not?) with dialogue and respect. Thanks.
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You, brithish, suck.
I think is very easy to call my compatriot racist, but, i´d rather say he/she looksss very burnt out, I don´t think you understand what he/she means, and even when I love britain a lot, and I´ve travelled around it many times, unfortunately i have to say that, in general the brits r very rude whith other cultures, i´ve been asked wether i knew how to use a microwave many times in britain and so on and so on, i´ve been asked many times if my parents are riches as I was able to afford travelling around britain, etc , etc, and if u ask many of the spanish that have ever been to deep britain can tell you the same.
Apart of these things, I had problems in many places in Torremolinos speaking my own language, and the only oficial language in Andalucia is spanish, becouse people in these places(bars, pubs, souvenirs, etc) were english and they didn´t speak spanish nor i nor my parents could be attended, and I´m sorry my dear Britfrinds but these things shouldn´t ever be tolerated, and we all should take further actions, and is not racism, it is very easy to say this would be a racist act, is not that, we do have the right of living in spanish anywhere in our country(Andalucia), and of course if you want to learn and talk 300 languages then do it, but no spaniard, english, french, etc, should ever be unatended in their own country becouse of a language matter.
Isn't it rather revealing that almost all the posts in Spanish are full of swearwords?
Hi there.
I feel sad that because of just a few Spaniards that are ignorant and full of hatred relations between Spaniards and Gibraltarians are hurt.
Gibraltar has been British for more than 300 years and should remain so as long as their people want it that way. That's their right.
As a Spaniard, I do NOT understand why some of "my people" don't let go on that issue. In fact, I believe that it's a positive thing that there is British territory in the iberian peninsula.
Being influenced by other cultures will only do good to you and your kids. Whenever I go back to "Campo de Gibraltar", I will try to work in Gibraltar. Speak English at work, and Spanish while in Spain. Take my kids to Loreto school in Gibraltar so they can pick up English since little. And no, there is no need for a residential permit in Gibraltar in order to take your kids to Loreto school - although other schools require so.
Gibraltarians are a unique people. They're British and Gibraltarians. Neither Spanish nor English - just Gibraltarians and British.
I hope my country (Spain) stops being stupid about the restriction on the border. The border MUST be removed. After all, Gibraltar is a EU country.
in regards to the last letter that ignorant person wrote about they should remove all borders and that we are in the eu, england should be ashamed of themselves that even in the 21st century they still have colonies, one must remember the spanish borrowed gibraltar to the english so that they could win there war and never gave it back, english are trouble every where they go look what they done to iraq and the falklands, and south africa the british should be wiped off this planet along with the americans, ARRIBA ESPANA
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