Gibraltar gets new veto power on forum
Gibraltar was today given an effective veto over changes to its constitutional status, with the creation of a forum in which it will have an equal voice with Britain and Spain.
The establishment of the three-sided body knocks the final nail in the coffin of a scheme drawn up by London and Madrid for shared sovereignty over the Rock, which was abandoned in 2002 in the face of overwhelming opposition from residents.
The forum plan was announced by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and his Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos in a joint statement issued with the agreement of Gibraltar’s chief minister Peter Caruana in October, and details were thrashed out at a meeting of officials at Mr Straw’s Chevening residence earlier this month.
Announcing details of the arrangements today, the UK Foreign Office said the forum should “create a constructive atmosphere of mutual confidence and co-operation for the benefit and prosperity of Gibraltar and the whole region”.
Each of the three parties will have “its own separate voice” and each will participate on an equal basis, said a written statement.
Any subject, from the future of Gibraltar’s sovereignty to the operation of its airport and telecommunications links with Spain, may be raised at the forum, which will meet at ministerial level at least once a year.
But officials made clear that they expected the body to focus on practical issues for the foreseeable future, rather than indulge in debates over the constitutional position of the Mediterranean outpost.
The so-called Brussels Process of UK-Spanish talks over Gibraltar’s future, which began in 1986, was put firmly on the back-burner following the collapse of the joint sovereignty proposals.
And the Socialist Government elected in Madrid in March has put Spain’s long-standing sovereignty ambitions on hold in order to concentrate on improving relations with the Rock’s inhabitants.
Officials made clear that Gibraltar’s veto on decisions exists only within the context of the forum, and does not prejudice the rights of future British and Spanish governments to reach agreements outside the body.
But there are no immediate plans to revive the Brussels Process, and any attempt to restart discussions on sovereignty without the agreement of the forum would inevitably spark bitter protests from Gibraltar.
