GIBRALTAR today Letters

The Letters Page is updated on Mondays 
Write to us

Copy of letter sent by Chief Minister to the Daily Telegraph

Dear Sir

I am surprised that your Madrid Correspondent ("Spain takes a new line on Rock") should consider that "Spain has indicated a new phase in its relationship with Gibraltar by promising Gibraltar tens of thousands of new telephone lines".

For many years Spain has withheld recognition of Gibraltar's own telephone codes rendering only 30,000 Gibraltar telephone numbers accessible from Spain. Contrary to what your correspondent says, Gibraltar is not part of the Spanish telephone grid. Spain has also denied Gibraltar mobile phone companies "roaming" facility agreements with Spanish mobile operators, so that Gibraltar mobile phones do not work in Spain. Finally she has blocked telephone traffic from third countries using our international code ("350") from reaching Gibraltar through the Spanish network.

Five years ago Gibraltar' s two telephone companies lodged formal complaints with the EU Commission about these clear breaches by Spain of EU competition laws. The EU Commission has so far taken no action against Spain.

Now that Gibraltar has no telephone numbers left to allocate that are accessible from Spain. Sr Piqué promises to "ration" Gibraltar some more numbers on the basis of his assessment of our needs. In doing so he makes the offer conditional on the numbers not being used to develop our finance centre or to "compete with Spain on telephone services". This clear admission of his motive makes continued EU Commission inaction on the competition complaints even more inexplicable.

We do not see this as indicating any new phase in an acceptable relationship between Gibraltar and Spain which should be based on mutual respect of EU rights and obligations. If as a Foreign Office spokesman has said, this is favourable step in the right direction, it is a very small one indeed.

Yours faithfully

P R Caruana
Chief Minister 

Put a stop to it

Gentlemen, it is beyond my comprehension why the citizens of Gibraltar condone their government to have any type of discussion with Spain. The price of bananas or the weather may be discussed but please, not the sovereignty of Gibraltar. As I see it the status of our homeland and its airport are not negotiable with anyone except with the UK regarding self-determination as a British protectorate, something in the lines of the island of Madeira with Portugal. Please, put a stop to all meetings with Spain, it’s as simple as that!

Edwin Hathaway
From the Florida keys

It’s about sovereignty

Would there be someone out there who could explain how anyone can talk under the Brussels Agreement, which calls for the progressive handing over of Sovereignty to Spain but not talk about Sovereignty? Please!.. Of course there is always the chance that Mr. Straw may have talked him out of it…or even threatened to MONITOR him very closely from now on.

P. Cano

Rightful Place

“…the Tower of Babel had been simply an attempt, however hasty and deservedly a failure because of the pride of its architects, to build the most powerful menhir of all.”

Foucault’s Pendulum. Umberto Eco. 1989.

Criticisms and questions abound in the media over the Chief Minister’s, Peter Caruana, intended participation in the recently resurrected Anglo-Hispanic Brussels Agreement. (There’s an alcoholic resonance to all this)

Rather than an emissary departing his homeland in search for the betterment of his people, the Chief Minister seems to have been summoned by those in whose hands might possibly rest the future of the Gibraltarian People.

In the formulation of the Single European Sky Policy, unlike the Tower of Babel there is no room for pride, allegories and farcical Jurassic rooted claims, rather a solid foundation, knowledgeable and well meaning architects will need to be the order of the day.

Imagine all EU members finding a common ground of understanding and co-operation in the stratosphere.

In the midst of so much incertitude, wastage of time and developmental potential in all quarters, there lingers a glimmer of hope that common sense and reason might just prevail over autocracy and engineered ignorance.

With such an outcome the Gibraltarian People, their City and its famous Rock will be acknowledged and given their honourable rightful place in the European framework, a place so richly and justly deserved.

Manuel Correa.
Australia.

Odd man out

Dear Sir,

Spot the odd man out. Who gave the impression of wanting to become the leader of a political party without contesting a leadership election?

(a) Michael Portillo.
(b) Kenneth Clarke.
(c) Daniel Feetham.
(d) Ian Duncan Smith.
(e) David Davis.

No more comment needed.

Yours faithfully,

Romina T, Paddington

Great Website 

Dear Editor,

I would like to express my great appreciation at being able to keep up with local issues and news though your website. Since leaving the Rock 11 years ago I found I was missing out out on such material. The idea for having Gibraltar news alerts sent to E-mail addresses is novel! My am looking forward to these. Your website is very informative and easy to use.

Congratulations on running a great website!

Mrs Sabina Lewis (neé. Tonna)

Shop Shut

Dear Sir,

I would be most grateful if you would kindly publish this letter in answer to one published in Panorama of the 23rd/29th July signed with the initials JTB.

I have time to believe that JTB suffers from failing eyesight as to our being closed at the time he said we were. I can forgive him if he mistook some other shop for ours as we did close well after 9p.m. that particular day. I have to admit that we were closed Thursday 19th, the reason for this was that our daughter gave birth to our first grandchild in Wales and it was only natural that we should get the first flight out (which happened to be on a Thursday) to be with her.

I am sure that the public at large can forgive us for not opening that Thursday.

So Mr. JTB before suffering another severe case of Foot and Mouth, get your facts right.

Yours sincerely,

Wilfred Guerrero

• Books

• Magazines

• Posters & Prints