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GIBRALTAR
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Governor
points at Spain as culprit for Gibraltar's problems
The British
governor, David Durie, has pointed at Spain as the culprit of
Gibraltar's problems.
As some 12,000
demonstrators converged on his residence at The Convent, Mr Durie
said he was glad that the Declaration of Unity signed by the elected
members of the House of Assembly was being sent to the Spanish
Government.
Problems like the
exclusion from the European single sky measures, which the UK
succumbed to under pressure from Spain, "would not recur if the
Spanish Government would allow its broader interests for progress in
Europe to be given precedence over its narrow interest in
Gibraltar."
The Spanish
government systematically block Gibraltar's rights in the European
Union, and although Britain says this is wrong, she fails to put
Spain in its place and ends up excluding Gibraltar from its
legitimate rights. (05.10.01)
Demo
organisers ask Governor for clarifications about proposed
meeting
The Voice of Gibraltar Group and the Self-determination for Gibraltar group say they note with interest the press release issued by the Convent immediately prior to the demonstration of October the 4th.
In this press release the Convent states firstly that Mr. Durie would meet the leaders of the demonstration in his capacity as the representative of Her Majesty the Queen. This he did as the demonstration passed by the Convent. The press release contains an offer to hold a “substantive meeting” with the organisers of the demonstration. The organisers, the SDGG and the VOGG have informed the Convent that the groups are considering attending such a meeting, but that before it took place the groups would need to have the following information: 1. the capacity in which Mr. Durie would attend
2. the definition of the Convent of its phrase “substantive meeting”. 3. an agenda for the meeting, The SDGG and the VOGG have made this known to the Convent by way of a letter. In respect of the term “substantive” the organisers have requested the Convent its definition, that is, whether this means that Her Majesty’s Government now intends to take action on Gibraltar’s behalf leading to concrete positive results which would respect the rights of the People of Gibraltar rather than engaging in a continuation of proffering unfounded assurances and making unfulfilled promises. (05.10.01)
Opening
of legal year
Today was the opening of
the legal year, with a ceremony taking place at the Supreme Court.
There were speeches
from the Attorney General, the Chairman of the Bar Council and the
Chief Justice.
Increased
international cooperation since the September 11 events in the USA,
and the question of legal aid, were the main topics in speeches.
A guard of honour
was mounted by the Royal Gibraltar Police, with contingents from the
Prison Service and customs. The chief justice inspected the guard of
honour. (05.10.01)
Demonstration:SDGG
Address by William Serfaty
Today you have before you your elected representatives, past and present, who have this very afternoon signed a declaration of unity in our defence before the campaign we face from outside Gibraltar. Your presence here endorses and supports their stand.
From this square, the message to the Foreign Office is plain and simple. It is that you will not allow them to carry out any plan, short-term or long-term, to hand over Gibraltar, our land, to Spain or anybody else.
To call the non-inclusion of Gibraltar in the EU single sky measure a suspension and not exclusion, as if to soften the blow, is playing with words, it is playing with us. A suspension based on our future acceptance of the Airport Agreement, which takes with it sovereignty of our land, and which every Member of the House of Assembly has rejected, is an exclusion, no more, no less.
A pattern is beginning to emerge. The European vote is ours by legal right, by a decision of a court, but we are prevented from exercising it.
The message to us is that Europe is moving forward and we will be left behind. We identify with this modern Europe, which according to Mr. Hain is moving forward in a progressive way. The progressive quality of Europe is not proved only by the standard of living it provides, but also by its performance in the matter of the fundamental rights of its citizens. If Europe fails in the protection of these rights, then it cannot claim to be progressive. We have no voice in Europe. Our voice is the Foreign Office, which is responsible for ensuring that these rights are respected. Well, we should not be left behind and if we are it will be caused by the action or inaction of the Foreign Office and no one else. While we ask ourselves whether UK Ministers are agreeing to implement a strategy against our rights, why should we hear from the Spanish Minster involved, no less, that “we should not worry that there is not a conspiracy against us”.
The strategy of causing uncertainty in Gibraltar is designed to arouse fear in us, to destabilise our daily lives. Our response is that we have nothing to fear because Gibraltar will not submit. We are now going to hand a declaration of the Unity of the Members of the House to a representative of the Foreign Office, to remind it once again that it has a responsibility to stand up for our EU Rights, and to show it that it cannot profit by trying to sow division in Gibraltar.
Demonstration:Voice of Gibraltar Address by Sarah Abecasis
"We, the people of Gibraltar are a charitable and grateful people and as such, we raise our voice in gratitude to Blair, Straw, Hain and the Mandarins at the Foreign Office. We thank them because in their treatment of the people of Gibraltar, they have brought out the best that lies within the spirit of the people of Gibraltar. They believed that local solidarity was impossible; they believed that Gibraltarian unity was impossible; they believed that Gibraltarian resolve was impossible. We tell them that our vision is possible, that our aspiration is possible. That our determination is unstoppable.
The most recent evidence of the British Government's collusion with Spain has set it upon a further step down the road of collision with Gibraltar. We tell them that we will not be silenced, that we will not go away, that we will not give up our rights whatever challenges the British Government throws our way. Gibraltar has always met might with right and those who are ill advised and ill inclined will see from this mass demonstration that our resolve, our aspiration, our right to political and constitutional evolution is mightier than the petty thinking ministers whose constitutional function ought to be to look after our welfare. But the people of Gibraltar came of age long ago and to the eternal shock of British ministers we tell them that we can think for ourselves. We feel the winds of surrender coming out of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on EU issues it is the United Kingdom's responsibility to protect Gibraltar and honour its obligations.
We, the people of Gibraltar are not for surrender. We condemn the British Government for its treatment of the people of Gibraltar. We will not bow down to political pressure.
We are a resolute, resourceful, proud and determined people. And we are also blessed. We are blessed because we have withstood the test of time. We are blessed because we are a showcase to the world. We provide deafening evidence that peoples of different racial, cultural and religious traditions are able to live in peace side-by-side. Local history has taught us much; we have had to rise to the occasion, in the face of adversity, again and again and again. But our spirit is not weakened. It is strengthened, in adversity. Our spirit is strong our spirit is vibrant. It is not for surrender. It will not be crushed. We will succeed.
God bless the people of Gibraltar."
Massive
demonstration in defence of Gibraltar's rights
A massive demonstration took place in Gibraltar this evening in support of Gibraltar's rights and political principles. The elected members of the House of Assembly, flanked by former members, lead the demonstration behind a huge banner which had the UK flag, as a symbol of sovereignty, the Gibraltar flag as a symbol of self-determination and the EU flag as a symbol of Gibraltar's EU rights.
There were speeches by the Self-determination group and the Voice of Gibraltar group, who had organised the demonstration. A declaration of unity, endorsed by all members of the House and also by past members, was read to the large crowd by the chief minister.
The demonstration and declaration comes in the wake of Gibraltar's suspension from the European single skies measures and the resumption of Anglo-Spanish ministerial talks about Gibraltar's future.
Gibraltar will never give up or compromise its sovereignty or inalienable right to self-determination, said the declaration which was signed earlier in the day at a special sitting of the House. Apart from the present members, twenty former members of the House - and the present as well as three former Speakers - also signed the declaration.
It further calls upon the British Government "to honour, respect and uphold our EU rights" by ensuring that Gibraltar participates in all EU measures in the same manner and to the same extent as all other citizens and territories of the European Union.
The declaration also condemns the British government for "capitulating under pressure to the suspension of Gibraltar from the EU single skies measures" and also the Spanish government for demanding it.
While Gibraltar wants good, neighbourly, European relations with Spain, the declaration makes clear that "Gibraltar belongs to the people of Gibraltar and is neither Spain's to claim, nor Britain's to give
away."
GOVERNOR MEETS ORGANISERS
As the demonstration passed by the Governor's residence, a copy of the declaration was being handed over for onward transmission to British prime minister Tony Blair. Given that the organisers of the demonstration had publicly stated their wish to present a copy to a representative of the Foreign Office, the Assistant Deputy Governor was receiving it to pass it on to the British government. Copies are also being sent to the secretary general of the United Nations, the president of the European Commission and the prime minister of Spain.
The Governor said that, as representative of The Queen,and in acknowledgement of the "depth and strength of feeling in Gibraltar" on the single sky issue, he had decided to meet the leaders of the demonstration. He also offered to hold a substantive meeting with them tomorrow "in order to discuss their concerns."
Demonstration latest: Governor to meet organisers
The Governor David
Durie said this afternoon that he would be meeting the organisers of
the demonstration. He would do so as representative of The Queen.
A statement from
The Convent said this was "in acknowledgement of the depth and
strength of feeling in Gibraltar on the single sky issue."
The Governor has
also offered to hold "a substantive meeting" with the
organisers in the Convent tomorrow morning in order to discuss their
concerns.
The Convent says
that the organisers of the demonstration "have publicly stated
that they wish to present a copy of the declaration to a
representative of the Foreign Office. "Therefore the
Assistant Deputy Governor will receive it and will pass it on to the
relevant authorities in the British Government," said the
statement. (04.10.01)
Members of the House of Assembly this afternoon signed the
Declaration of Unity, as a prelude to this evening's demonstration.
As well as the present members, twenty former members of the
House also endorsed the declaration. The present and three former
Speakers also signed the declaration.
Among those signing were former chief ministers Sir Robert
Peliza and Adolfo Canepa.
Former GSD member Peter Cumming, who had advocated a deal
with Spain and was ousted from the party at the time, also signed
the declaration which states, among other things, that Gibraltar
belongs to the people of Gibraltar and is not Spain's to claim
or for Britain's to give away. (04.10.01)
We, the undersigned, being all the elected Members of the House of Assembly of Gibraltar, declare and endorse the following propositions, which unite and reflect the views of the overwhelming majority of the people of Gibraltar,
1. The people of Gibraltar will never, ever, compromise or give up our inalienable right to self-determination, that is, the right to decide our future in our land.
2. The people of Gibraltar will never compromise or give up our sovereignty, not for good relations with anybody and not for economic benefits either.
3. The people of Gibraltar will not compromise our right to self-determination, still less sovereignty, in exchange for respect for rights which are ours anyway, and which others should be made to respect unconditionally.
AND WE
a. CALL UPON Her Majesty's Government to honour, respect and uphold our EU rights by ensuring that we participate in all EC and EU measures in the same manner and to the same extent as all other citizens and territories of the European Union AND WE CONDEMN Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom for capitulating under pressure to the suspension of Gibraltar from the EU Single Skies measures, and the Government of the Kingdom of Spain for demanding it.
b. REAFFIRM that Gibraltar wants good, neighbourly, European relations with Spain based on reasonable dialogue and mutual respect. Spain is obliged to respect our EU and other rights.
c. ASSERT that Gibraltar belongs to the people of Gibraltar and is neither Spain's to claim, nor Britain's to give away.
The Gibraltar government calls upon the
people of Gibraltar "to take part on the largest possible
scale" at the demonstration on Thursday. Ministers and other members of the House of Assembly will lead the demonstration.
A Government statement says: The demonstration provides an
appropriate opportunity to peacefully express the anger of the
people of Gibraltar at our suspension from the EU Single Skies
measure. The demonstration also provides a further opportunity
to express our collective determination to protect our sovereignty
and our right to self determination.
The text of a common Declaration of Unity on these issues has been
agreed by both Government and Opposition. The organisers of
the demonstration will use this declaration as a focus of unity for
the demonstration. The Government then
refers to what it describes as "unconfirmed reports"
circulating in Gibraltar which suggest that certain people who are
opposed to Gibraltar's participation in dialogue under the Brussels
Agreement may "be planning to use the demonstration to express
their views on that issue. This would be a great pity since that is
not what the demonstration is about and would destroy the unity of
the occasion," says the government. (03.10.01)
Support for demonstration: We will not be bullied, says Alliance
The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party and the Liberal Party of Gibraltar will be supporting the demonstration organised by the Self-Determination and the Voice of Gibraltar Groups which takes place tomorrow Thursday.
The two parties consider that the fundamental question of the future of Gibraltar has been thrust into the foreground by the recent statements made by Foreign Office Minister Peter Hain followed by the suspension of Gibraltar from the EU Single European Sky measures.
The GSLP and the Liberal Party maintain that the future of Gibraltar can only be decided by the people of Gibraltar through the exercise of the right to self-determination, no matter what people like Mr Hain have to say. Both parties commit themselves to strongly resisting any attempts to push the Gibraltarians in a direction where we do not want to go.
The GSLP and the Liberals urge the people of Gibraltar to stand as solid as the Rock itself as we have done in the past whenever our fundamental rights are being threatened as appears to be the case on this occasion.
" We urge people to support the demonstration tomorrow as a signal that we will not be bullied into submission by anyone," says an Alliance statement.(03.10.01)
Exclusion carries "serious sovereignty implications"
The Opposition consider that the exclusion of Gibraltar from the Single European Sky carries with it serious implications for the sovereignty of the airspace over Gibraltar and over our territorial waters. It also puts paid to the comments made by Foreign Office Minister Peter Hain that he has not contemplated a deal which would involve giving in to Spain's sovereignty claim. Britain has given in to Spain's sovereignty claim over the air.
The Single European Sky, unlike previous EU measures that dealt with the rights of airlines and the procedures that apply at EU airports, deals with the question of national airspace. This particular Single Sky measure demarcates the airspace of the European Union. In practical terms, like territorial waters or land frontiers national airspace is a matter of national sovereignty, says a statement.
It adds: It will be recalled that General Franco imposed restrictions on aircraft calling at Gibraltar airport. However, even those restrictions involved the recognition of British airspace over the approaches to the airport, the median line in the Bay, and over the territory of the airport itself.
Aircraft using Gibraltar airport were and remain restricted to flying in British airspace.
The current objections to the recognition of Gibraltar's national airspace by Spain are therefore something new and goes further than the position adopted by Franco's dictatorship. In accepting Spain's argument for the suspension of Gibraltar from the Single European Sky, the Foreign Office in London have accepted that there is a dispute over the sovereign rights over the national airspace over Gibraltar. Some have argued that this may have little practical effect, but the point is that raises serious issues of principle and of sovereignty and will give Spain the opportunity to make more mischief in the future.
The Opposition maintain that the recognition of Gibraltar national airspace and sovereignty over that airspace has been diluted by our exclusion from the Single European Sky. It is all the more damaging that this has happened with the blessing of the United Kingdom and the expected endorsement later this month of the whole of the European Union. This leaves in tatters Mr Hain's assertion that Britain would never contemplate giving in to the Spanish sovereignty demands, given that so far as it concerns our national airspace the British Government has already given in.(03.10.01)
World Bird Festival: Watching the birds go by
The BirdLife International World Birdwatch event, renamed the World Bird Festival, takes place this weekend, Saturday 6th and Sunday 5th October. Events to highlight the importance of birds and their habitats are taking place all over the world. As the BirdLife Partner in Gibraltar, the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS) is once again organising a number of events, aimed at bringing the enjoyment of birds and nature to as many people as possible.
Once again the main events take place on Saturday morning at the Alameda Gardens. Most of the events are centred at the Cottage, the site of the garden's Nature Shop, where refreshments will be available. At this site there will be bird ringing from first light (around 8am). Members of the GONHS Gibraltar Ringing Group will be catching birds and placing rings on them, taking measurements before release. From around 9.30am there will be guided walks around the gardens, with a view to spotting as many bird species as possible. There will also be tours of the Conservation Park in the former mini-golf course.
From around 10.30am there will be a display of birds of prey run by the Society's Raptor Rehabilitation Unit. This will be at the Open Air Theatre.
At the same time, GONHS will continue to man its regular bird ringing site at Jews' Gate on the Upper Rock.
On Saturday afternoon the activity moves to Europa Point where GONHS members will be introducing interested members of the public to the observation of seabirds.
On Sunday there will be an outing to neighbouring habitats and birds in Spain.
All are welcome to all of the events. (03.10.01) How can anyone believe Foreign Office minister
Hain? he Opposition notes that apparently Mr Hain has reassured Mr Caruana at the Labour Party conference by saying that there is no question of Britain ever contemplating giving in to Spain's sovereignty claim.
This should not reassure the people of Gibraltar. Mr Hain is lying if he has used such words.
Britain spent between 1997 and this year, when they were put to one side, studying the Matutes proposals which required it to contemplate giving in to the Spanish claim on sovereignty.
Moreover in his interview of 17 September, Mr Hain himself was already contemplating a deal which would involve giving in to Spain's sovereignty claim. This is reflected in at least three of the answers he gave in that interview.
The first is that Mr Hain was asked what would happen if Mr Caruana said "no" to proposals made in the Brussels negotiating process. Mr Hain replied that the people could then "through the Constitutional settlement and the Preamble of the Constitution have their say." The Preamble can only be invoked if a transfer of sovereignty is being contemplated.
Secondly, when asked whether the constitution of Gibraltar would be discussed under the Brussels agreement, and Mr Hain confirmed that it would. He said "We have not discussed them so far in the Brussels process.
But they are bound to come up. However, the constitutional guarantee remains, there will be a vote for the people of Gibraltar..." Once again a vote can only happen if giving in to the Spanish claim is being contemplated.
Thirdly, Mr Hain said that the present status is not sustainable. A change in status in the context of the Brussels process can only mean a change from being a colony and this requires that the issues of sovereignty be discussed including the Spanish claim. In reaching the conclusion that our present status is not sustainable, Mr Hain must have contemplated the possibility of giving in to the Spanish claim.
In any case, the Opposition consider that what Mr Hain is engaged in is a joint exercise with his Spanish counterpart Ramon de Miguel, who a few days ago said there was no conspiracy, to make reassuring noises. The people of Gibraltar will not be taken in by either party.
It is a bit rich for Mr Hain to expect us to believe anything he says when in June the Foreign Office rejected suspending Gibraltar airport from the Single Sky initiative as demanded by Spain using the 1987 airport agreement exclusion clause, and have now agreed precisely to the formula they were not prepared to contemplate in June. (03.10.01) Caruana accuses Spain of blackmail at Labour conference The chief minister Peter Caruana has accused Spain of blackmail and called on British MPs to back the Rock in its determination to remain British.
Speaking at a reception at the Labour Party conference in Brighton, he spoke of the abuse of Gibraltar's EU rights and its exclusion from the European Single Sky measures.
He spoke of the hypocrisy of the EU in putting the pressure on Gibraltar and doing nothing about getting Spain to respect Gibraltar's rights on a series of issues. The EU should tell Spain to stop its blackmail - while Britain should live up to its responsibilities to Gibraltar.
Gibraltar wanted to be free to decide its own future, and looked to the groundswell of traditional support among the British people and political parties.
Foreign Office minister Peter Hain said that Britain was not contemplating giving in to Spain's sovereignty claim, but such assurances sound hollow given the minister's utterances during his recent visit to Gibraltar. (02.10.01) European business alliance critical of Gibraltar's Single Sky exclusion The exclusion of Gibraltar from the European Single Sky measures has come under fire from the European Small Business Alliance
(ESBA) when the subject was debated at the group's quarterly meeting in Brussels.
The ESBA board received a report from Mary Lou Guerrero, chairman of the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses, whose organisation is a member of the Alliance, and included copies of newspaper reports from Gibraltar. Mrs Guerrero told ESBA members that "the decision has been made by the UK government under pressure from Spain."
Brian Prime, ESBA president, said: "This is contrary to the founding principles and objectives of the European Union and we call upon all EU institutions to rectify this injustice." (02.10.01) Federation of small businesses support demonstration The Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses says it has "absolutely no hesitation in making public our overwhelming support for this Thursday's mass demonstration as a consequence of Gibraltar's exclusion from the Single Sky Agreement."
They advise their membership to show their support and unite in what is clearly an affront to our legitimate rights as EU members.
Whilst membership of the EU manifestly carries obligations, "there can be no doubt that membership also confers rights, and it appears that in the case of Gibraltar these basic rights are not always upheld," they add. (02.10.01) Demonstration will be led by elected members of Government and Opposition The phrases “Our EU Rights”, “Our Right to Self-Determination” and “Our British Sovereignty” have come to underpin the demonstration to be held on Thursday at 5.30pm from Casemates, says the Voice of Gibraltar and the Self-Determination Group, organisers of what is expected to be a mass demonstration that will count with the support of the Government and the Opposition.
“What is simply not acceptable is for the Foreign & Commonwealth office, which has overall responsibility for Gibraltar’s external welfare, to be openly in collision with Spain and hence embark upon a path of open collision with Gibraltar by failing to resist Spain’s clear economic war of attrition against Gibraltar,” the groups say.
In a statement issued to the international press, they speak of Foreign Office minister Peter Hain’s “patronising and threatening attitude whilst in Gibraltar” which was badly received by Gibraltarians who have the right “to expect political maturity from Britain’s politicians.”
Hain’s visit “has left an unpalatable taste in the political sensitivities of the fiercely British Gibraltarians,” they add.
Given the public anger which Hain’s visit has aroused, and his repetition of flogged F&CO mantras, it is expected the demonstration will be massively attended, expressing the widest possible support from all sectors of Gibraltar’s population.
UNITY
As a sign of unity, the demonstration is to be led by all the elected members of Government and opposition. They will have previously signed a declaration of unity at a special sitting of the House of Assembly.
The declaration will be handed at The Convent at the end of the demonstration for delivery to Prime Minister Tony Blair. Copies will go to the Secretary General of the United Nations, the European Parliament and the Spanish Prime Minister, “with the sole aim of ensuring that the aspirations of the people of Gibraltar reaches all those who have traditionally turned a deaf ear to the political and constitutional evolution of the people of Gibraltar leading to full right of self-determination.”
The elected members will be saying YES to self-determination and NO to Spanish sovereignty.
The demonstration will be an all-Gibraltar affair in defence of Gibraltar’s rights and
aspirations. Chief
Minister at Labour Party conference The chief minister Peter Caruana will be attending the Labour Party conference in Brighton. He will be hosting the now traditional Gibraltar government reception for delegates this evening.
"In the light of recent political developments, the chief minister has extended his stay at the conference by one extra full day to maximise lobbying and briefing opportunities," said his office.
Mr Caruana is accompanied by the chief secretary Ernest Montado. He returns on Wednesday.
Gibraltar has been excluded from the European single sky measures, which has provoked a crisis in relations with London. Gibraltar has been part of the EU since 1973 and claims that its rights must be upheld.(01.10.01) Gibraltar up in arms at British EU
cave-in Recent anodyne statements in the UK about the re-opening of discussions with Spain over Gibraltar’s future, together with the territory’s exclusion from the European Single Sky programme have excited fears on the Rock that the British Government is preparing to sacrifice it in the interests of European unity, says a report from Brussels in Tax-News.
A Government-supported demonstration on Thursday to protest against the Single Sky situation, but with a wider agenda of dissatisfaction, is being joined by the unions, it was announced over the weekend. All members of the House of Assembly are to sign a declaration for UK prime minister Tony Blair, which will be handed over to Governor David Durie at the end of demonstration.
After Foreign Office minister Peter Hain appeared to say on a visit in September that the territory’s right to self-determination might be subject to the 300-year old Treaty of Utrecht, the Government finally accepted that fears of exclusion from the sovereignty negotiation have a real basis, and set about obtaining a legal opinion on the matter. Chief Minister Peter Caruana said that the Government has obtained “a very, very positive” draft legal opinion from an international jurist on the issue.
Hain also last week met Spanish counterpart Ramon de Miguel to discuss preparations for the next round of talks under the Brussels process which are expected before the end of the year. Gibraltarians note with displeasure that once again the Spanish Foreign Ministry has called upon Mr Caruana to take part in bilateral dialogue between Foreign ministers Jack Straw and Josep Pique, Both Government and Opposition refuse to countenance this, since it seems to imply acceptance of a junior role in the negotiations, which Gibraltar insists should be multilateral, says the report.
It adds: Opposition member Dr Joseph Garcia, who has been saying for years that the Government’s policy of constructive engagement would fail, wrote a letter to British newspapers last week saying that the Foreign Office lacks courage in facing up to Madrid. Dr Garcia wrote: ‘Mr Straw and his minister for Europe Peter Hain have been singularly ineffective in standing up to the continuous and illegal harassment on the part of the Spanish government against the 30,000 British people of Gibraltar. To add insult to injury, it has recently been announced that Gibraltar airport is to be excluded from the Single European Sky measures following political pressure from Madrid. In June, the Foreign Office maintained that Gibraltar could not be systematically excluded from European Union law, and just three months later we have been left
out. Spanish budget priority to seek Spanish Gibraltar through Brussels
process The Spanish government will spend over £400 million in its foreign service budget - and priority will be given to Spain’s rotating presidency of the European Union and the negotiating process with Britain over Gibraltar under the Brussels process.
“In these negotiations, Spanish sovereignty over Gibraltar will continue to be a priority objective,” says the Spanish budget for next year.
Spain will also defend its interests in the United Nations, specifically mentioning Gibraltar.
It was disclosed earlier this year that the Spanish Government devotes sums of money in this area to promote its points of view on aspects affecting Gibraltar. Payments to journalists have been cited.
Meanwhile, both London and Madrid informed the EU transport commissioner Loyola de Palacio about the deal ocer the Single Sky measures, which excludes Gibraltar. A formal communication is due shortly.
EU transport ministers are expected to endorse the deal on 14 October.
The deal excludes Gibraltar until such time as the 1987 airport agreement is accepted by Gibraltar.
Open
revolt on the Rock In an article about the stories its readers may have missed, The Times said today:
“Some stories have barely received any mention, and some scandals that would have had the paparazzi surrounding those at the centre have caused hardly a ripple. Few people have noticed that in Gibraltar fears are growing that Britain is ready to sell the colony down the river. A Foreign Office proposal to resolve the long-standing row over the Rock’s status in Europe, which has held up agreements on air traffic, trade and the single market, has been denounced by Gibraltarians as appeasement to Spanish obduracy. When the war against terrorism is over, Britain may suddenly discover open revolt on the Rock.” Unions
support demonstration
The unions have
come out in support of the mass demonstration being held next
Thursday to protest against the exclusion of Gibraltar from the
European single sky measures.
In a statement
today, the Gibraltar Trades Council says it condemns the stance
adopted by the UK to exclude Gibraltar from such measures.
They add: It is no
coincidence that the Spanish foreign minister should have spoken in
terms more appropriate of Sr Castiella designed to boycott any
prospects of participation by the government of Gibraltar in talks
relating to our future, in contrast to the message given by Mr Hain
that the Spanish position had softened somewhat.
The unions roundly
condemn both the UK and Spanish governments for their lack of vision
and imagination in not creating a forum that would allow the
question of sovereignty to be placed to one side and progress on
issues of a social and economic nature.
They say they
understand the perceived frustration and betrayal felt by all
Gibraltarians as a result of the UK's lacklustre defence of our EU
rights.
The unions
therefore end by saying that they wholly support the planned
demonstration and asks all its members to attend. (28.09.01)
Make
legal opinion public, says group
The Labour Group says it
welcomes the comments made by the Chief Minister on the GBC View
Point programme on Thursday evening that the Government has obtained
"a very very positive" draft legal opinion from an
international jurist on the issue of whether the Treaty of Utrecht
circumscribes our right to self determination. Individual members of
the group have been advocating publicly the investigation of this
issue for close to a year now.
The Labour Group
would however like to point out that if the idea of obtaining a
legal opinion is such an obvious one as the Chief Minister
suggested, the question then arises as to why it has taken the
Government six-years to obtain one in draft form only. In any event,
the Labour Group believes that the comments by the Chief Minister
that the Opinion is "very very positive" is an extremely
significant one and we call on the Chief Minister to make its
contents public as soon as it is in final form in order to
demonstrate to the people of Gibraltar once and for all that despite
the arguments put forward by the Spanish and UK Governments our
inalienable rights to self determination are not circumscribed by
the Treaty of Utrecht. (28.09.01)
Radioactive
deadline nears
The Environmental Safety
Group says it wishes to draw attention to the deadline given by the
Andalusian Government to Acerinox of impending
legal action if the removal of the radioactive ashes does not take
place before the end of September. The deadline is up in a matter of
days and the ESG adds their support through the Cross Border
Environmental
Committee to apply pressure for the legal action to take place.
"We would also like to inform the local public of the
intentions of the Algeciras Port Authority to further denigrate and
destroy the marine life and ecosystems in the bay, a mere kilometre
or two from Gibraltar.
CRINAVIS is a major container port of immense proportions,
planned for a site directly opposite Rocamar Hotel in La Linea. This
will undoubtedly increase pollution and also road and sea traffic,
congesting further our Bay and increasing the likelihood of
accidents and toxic spillages," they say.
And add: Although we realise that Gibraltar has undertaken a
fair amount of land reclamation, this has, to date, been almost
entirely for humanitarian purposes to provide housing for the
community. Any future developments must carry an Environmental
Impact
Assessment prior to permits being issued and these assessements
should be made public.
The ESG will be distributing leaflets over the weekend to
inform the local community of the details of the proposed CRINAVIS
project. Please read and digest the contents as it will affect you
too.(28.09.01)
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