GIBRALTAR today

Daily Mirror columnist 'makes a monkey of himself'

A scathing attack on Gibraltar, by Daily Mirror columnist Brian Reade, does not make a good read on the Rock.  His piece has received instant attention by people in Gibraltar and friends of Gibraltar elsewhere.

  Reade writes that of all the people who leave him cold, none are worse than expatriates. "Those woeful, wizened-up prunes, proud of the ability to whinge fluently in two languages, who denigrate Britain at every opportunity, yet spend all of their lives glued to the World Service, satellite channels and day-old newspapers," he writes.

  Clearly, he has confused English expats with Gibraltarians who, as barrister Fabian Picado says, are not expats but native Gibraltarians. He tells the Mirror in a letter: "Your Brian Reade has made a monkey of himself."

  Although Reade makes the point that "I've bumped into the gin glasses of many of them across the world, but the ones who made me vow to live in Blighty forever were the Gibraltarians", it is obvious he is mixing his drinks.

  For he goes on to describe Gibraltarians as "tax-dodgers who moved to the offshore-haven to pay less dues on investments, pick up their UK state pensions, vote Tory every four years..."

  Picardo reminds the paper that Gibraltarians do not vote in UK elections, and adds: In cases of ignorant rantings such as Mr Reade's I am not often given to reply, but in this case his remarkable lack of understanding of the Gibraltar situation, of the sensitivities of the Gibraltarian people and the reality of the new Labour betrayal of us (whatever the spin doctors may attempt to obfuscate), renders him even unworthy of the position he holds in a red top newspaper.

  The piece in the Mirror is being described as 'unbelievable' and 'racist' by other people who are up in arms about such outrage.

  Writes Reade: "We hand the rock back to Spain and they hand all Gibraltar residents who would be an asset to Britain, over to us.  After all, our zoos could do with a few more thousand Barbary apes."

  Writes Picardo to the Mirror: "Your Brian Reade has made a monkey of himself." (08.02.02)

Liberal democrat on Gibraltar fact-finding visit

 British Liberal Democrat Richard Copus arrives in Gibraltar today on a four day fact-finding mission at the invitation of the Liberal Party of Gibraltar. He is Parliamentary spokesman for the Liberal Democrats in Exeter.

   The visit follows that of the Liberal Democrat Mayor of Southwark Hilary Wines who was also in Gibraltar this week.

  This is part of the campaign being conducted in the United Kingdom in order to raise awareness of the problems that Gibraltar continues to face, said Liberal Party leader Dr Joseph Garcia.

  The Gibraltar Liberals are in the process of contacting all the various friends and Gibraltar supporters in Britain with the intention of establishing a network of people who are willing to help. It is important to note that in many cases there are supporters in different parts of the country who do not know about the existence of each other, so the Liberal Party is performing the function of getting them all in touch in order to mount a more effective campaign.

  Already an embryonic network is in place with contacts in Kent, Cornwall, Wales, Hertfordshire, Northern England, Northern Ireland, East Sussex and London. This is growing all the time. It is particularly encouraging that offers of help continue to come in unsolicited. For example, a further Liberal Democrat in the City Council in Southampton volunteered his services yesterday evening to help Gibraltar.

  This network is being coordinated by Richard Copus in the United Kingdom.

  Mr Copus has been to Gibraltar before and met with Dr Garcia in the past, he is a good friend and supporter of the Rock and its people.

  Dr Garcia said that he urges members of the public with Liberal Democrat friends, relatives, councillors or connections in the United Kingdom to contact him in order to assist Mr Copus and develop the campaign further.

  He was very grateful to those people who had already done so. He said there was still a lot of work to do to convince people and expose what is going on.

  This afternoon Richard Copus will be briefed by  Dr Garcia and representatives of the Executive Committee of the Gibraltar Liberal Party. A series of meetings with other groups and bodies have also been arranged. (08.02.02)

Constitution proposals before the House next week

  It has been confirmed that the constitutional proposals prepared by a select committee of the House of assembly are to be tabled at the next meeting of the House next Wednesday.

  This comes in the form of a motion moved by the chief minister. It calls on discussions being initiated with Britain to implement the proposals.

  The motion reads: This House notes, approves and adopts the report of the Select Committee on Constitutional reform dated 23rd January 2002 and calls upon the Government to initiate the appropriate discussions with her Majesty's Government in the UK in relation to the modernisation of Gibraltar's Constitution regulating the constitutional relationship between the United Kingdom and Gibraltar in accordance with the recommendations in the report." (08.02.02)   

Hospital to be sued as man, 24, told he will not be able to walk again

  A 24-year old man has been told that he will not be able to walk again, his family having decided to seek legal advice as they wish to sue the Gibraltar health Authority for negligence.

  The family has approached the Opposition and asked that the matter be brought to the attention of the public.

  Stewart Cerisola, 24, has been suffering from acute back ache for over a year.  He has been seen to on several occasions by general practitioners at the primary health centre, one of whom referred him to St Bernard's Hospital for an x-ray and was subsequently told that everything appeared to be normal. He was being treated with pain killers.

  Last Wednesday, says an opposition statement, he could hardly walk and an ambulance transported him to hospital.  There he was seen by a senior house officer, who sent him for an x-ray. He was later told that the x-ray did not identify anything being wrong.

  The family insisted that he should be admitted for further investigation as Stewart was unable to walk, but this was refused.  However, he refused to leave and waited until 8pm when the new shift came in, and Stewart was seen to by another SHO,  who accepted that the patient should be admitted and the following morning, he was seen to by the resident orthopaedic consultant.

  Arrangements were immediately made for an emergency scan in Algeciras, and on the Friday, he was referred to a hospital in Seville.  As soon as he arrived, an emergency operation was performed which lasted 3 hours.

  Unfortunately, Stewart and his family have been informed he will be unable now to walk again. (07.02.02) 

New Constitution should be implemented now, says SDGG

  The self-determination for Gibraltar group says last last December  it welcomed the completion of Gibraltar's New Constitution and called for it to be taken to the House of Assembly and implemented without delay, and without any external interference. 

  The SDGG considers that the way forward for Gibraltar is to establish its own position in counteraction and contradiction to the negative stance of the United Kingdom Government and Spain.

 "The purest expression of Self-Determination, the right to decide our own status, is the implementation of our own Constitution, which has been arrived at after 2 years of careful consideration by the Constitutional Committee of the House of Assembly, in representation of our democratically elected representatives, and after wide consultation," they say in a statement today.

 And they add: While the Constitution has not yet been made public the SDGG is confident that it is a responsible, dignified, and realistic document. This should be implemented without external interference from the Government of Tony Blair or from Spain.

  We note the next meeting of the House will be on Wednesday February 13th, and call on the Government to table the New Constitution, and on the House of Assembly to ratify it without any further delay. Given the forcefulness with which we are told that the present status in unsustainable, the New Constitution should be implemented forthwith. (07.02.02)

Caruana kept quiet over Straw message, says Opposition

 In a public statement  this week, the Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that he has made it clear to the Government of Gibraltar that constitutional proposals put to him by Gibraltar would only be considered in the framework of the current negotiating process with Spain. 

  The Opposition says they are surprised that the Gibraltar Government has been made awareof this by the Foreign Secretary and that neither the Opposition nor the people of Gibraltar themselves have been informed.
  The Opposition further adds that theyconsider that it is totally unacceptable that the Select Committee has been holding meetings since December 1999, and that on the verge of the Committee's report to the full House of Assembly Gibraltar gets to know from the Foreign Secretary that the proposals will only be considered under the Anglo-Spanish sovereignty deal. This has happened even before the proposals have been submitted to him.

   On top of that, the Foreign Secretary has also stated that he has made this clear to the Gibraltar Government, and Mr Caruana has said nothing.
  It will be recalled that Mr Caruana made several public statements over the years saying that he had solid assurances from Robin Cook that Britain would look at constitutional proposals from Gibraltar provided that these did not breach the Treaty of Utrecht. There was no question of Spain having a say.

  The Opposition statement adds:  The people of Gibraltar have a right to know who went back on those
solid assurances given by Mr Cook and when this happened.
  People will remember that Mr Caruana was asked by the Opposition in the Select Committee to write to Jack Straw raising this very point with him and making clear that any constitution submitted to him was on the basis that he was not free to share them or discuss them with Spain, let alone seek their agreement. At the time Mr Caruana gave no indication that he already knew Jack Straw's answer.

   Mr Caruana's statement that if the position of the United Kingdom is indeed no constitutional development or a new constitution as part of the Anglo-Spanish deal is acceptance that the
UK has a right to deny us our decolonisation other than under an agreement emerging from the Brussels negotiations. This is an extraordinary conclusion for the Government to come to when Mr Caruana as Chairman of the Committee has not even reported to the House of Assembly recommending the new constitution, and is signalling to the United Kingdom that he has already given up.
  The Opposition does not share the Chief Minister's acceptance that there are only two options open to Gibraltar, the status quo or the joint-sovereignty deal. 

  There is a third option which is to pursue the
demand for our right to self-determination and decolonisation and to insist that the British Government honours the commitments that he claims they
have given to him in the past. 

  As far as the Opposition is concerned, the new constitution has taken two years to put together and it should not now be dropped simply because of what the Foreign Secretary has said. 

  It should be recalled that whenever Gibraltar has made constitutional proposals to the United Kingdom throughout our post-war history the answer has always
been no. It is up to the Government and Opposition to put up a united front in defence of the constitution that we have signed up to once this is approved by the House of Assembly.
  The Opposition is convinced that Gibraltar has to pursue self-determination and reject the Anglo-Spanish sovereignty deal, which is what the Select Committee has itself been doing since 1999. (07.02.02)

Golden Jubilee message

The chief minister has sent the following message to the Queen on the occasion of Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee: "On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Your Majesty's accession to the throne, it is my honour, on behalf of Your Majesty's loyal government and subjects in Gibraltar, to humbly extend to Your Majesty our gratitude for Her Majesty's reign over Gibraltar during the last 50 years. In these difficult times for us, I hope that Your Majesty will permit me also to express the desire of Her loyal subjects here that Her Sovereignty, and that of Her Successors, will [prevail in this part of Her realm exclusively and indefinitely." (07.02.02) 

Justice for non-EU residents, says ILF

 The I.L.F. today renewed its demand for social justice for long term Non-EU residents in Gibraltar. A Party spokesman referred to last Thursday's pro-British demonstration and march and the wholehearted  participation in it by the Moroccan Community Association and the Gibraltar  Indian Residents'Association, among others from the minority communities.

  He continued :  "These people demonstrate their commitment to Gibraltar every day in all  sorts of ways. In addition, at times of peril for the Rock like this current  one, they do not shrink from standing shoulder to shoulder with the rest of us. We should reciprocate by at last granting them the  secure residence and other rights natural justice requires.

  The I.L.F. says it will persist in its campaign, both within the March for Justice  Committee and out of it, to secure justice and security for ALL Gibraltar  residents." (07.02.02)

Chief Minister meets president of European Parliament

  Chief minister Peter Caruana today met the president of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, who listened to what Mr Caruana had to say without expressing a view.

  Mr Caruana raised the question of Gibraltar's non-participation in European elections and the current Anglo-Spanish talks on Gibraltar.

  The meeting lasted for 10 minutes, reports the Spanish newsagency Europa Press from Strasbourg.

  Parliament sources said it appeared that Gibraltar would be part of a UK constituency when it takes part in Euro elections in 2004. (06.02.02)   

Caruana should not belittle frontier demonstration, says Opposition

 The Chief Minister Mr Caruana called on television earlier this week for the Opposition to stand behind the Government. The Opposition says they wish to make it clear that there are fundamental points of difference and that "we do not agree that it is a good thing for Gibraltar to be present in a negotiating process which is for the purpose of reaching a comprehensive agreement with Spain which includes joint-sovereignty."

   Mr Caruana has in fact to date never clearly stated that he is opposed in principle to such an agreement, statement or declaration being drawn up.

  However, the Opposition wish to state for the record that for as long as Mr Caruana does not attend the Anglo-Spanish talks, even if it is for different reasons, there is nothing stopping Government and Opposition campaigning together on the same issues. The moment that Mr Caruana attends such talks, the Opposition will continue with our own separate campaign against the talks taking place irrespective of his participation.

  The Opposition does not share Mr Caruana's view that if Gibraltar does not seek to attend these talks we risk losing our friends in Britain. It is worth recalling that Gibraltar has not taken part for fourteen years, and that Gibraltar has not lost any friends in the process.

  Moreover, Mr Caruana seems to have forgotten that when he was Leader of the Opposition he was questioned on the subject of a consensus approach to foreign affairs. He then said that a consensus approach did not mean that the Opposition had to capitulate to the Government. He added that "It is not for me to say I do not believe in any of the things that I believe" and that it was for Government and Opposition to meet, discuss their differences, and agree on a consensus approach which both would be happy to defend. The position that Mr Caruana took in Opposition is the same one that the Opposition takes today.

  The Opposition maintain that there can no longer be a question of anyone believing that is possible to attend talks under the Brussels agreement merely to improve neighbourly relations with Spain, without paying a sovereignty price in exchange for such cooperation.

  However, for Mr Caruana to go to Strasbourg and reportedly belittle the commitment and the dedication of the many thousands of Gibraltarians who attended the demonstration on Monday, "suggests that he is more concerned with his own status and importance than with the need to defend Gibraltar," says the Opposition.

  It adds:  For the avoidance of doubt, the Opposition wish to make clear that they will support any public demonstration called by any group or by Mr Caruana for the purpose of derailing an agreement with Spain, and will boycott any demonstration designed to bring about Mr Caruana's participation in the negotiations to achieve such an agreement with Spain. (06.02.02)

Mayor of Southwark supports Gibraltar

  The Liberal Democrat Mayor of Southwark in London Councillor Hilary Wines was in Gibraltar this week. Councillor Wines met with the Leader of the Liberal Party Dr Joseph Garcia in order to receive a full briefing and update on the latest political situation in Gibraltar. She will then take those views to her party in Britain and lobby on behalf of Gibraltar.

  Councillor Wines is no stranger to Gibraltar. She is a firm supporter of Gibraltar and of the right of the Gibraltarians to self-determination.

  Dr Garcia said that this was part of the lobbying being conducted in the United Kingdom in order to sway public and political opinion in favour of the Gibraltar point of view. He was very pleased that the Liberal Democrat Mayor of Southwark Councillor Hilary Wines had offered to go back and play her part.

  Councillor Wines declared that people in London and elsewhere who have been here are totally behind Gibraltar and added that she would be doing her best to spread the word.

  The Liberal Party continues to seek to rally support in the United Kingdom and elsewhere among the many friends and contacts that have been made over the last ten years in an effort to derail the Anglo-Spanish deal.

  "The future of Gibraltar can only be decided through self-determination. The current plans to produce a deal on sovereignty are a denial of self-determination," said Dr Garcia.(06.02.02) 

Green Party see red over Blair's Gibraltar stance

The Green Party of England & Wales today expressed serious concern over   ongoing developments regarding Gibraltar sovereignty negotiations.

  Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, a member of the party's national executive, said: "It doesn't surprise us that Tony Blair would negotiate over the heads of Gibraltarians, in full knowledge of the strength of opposition to his policy. This is what he has repeatedly done in Britain on a host of issues ranging from health and the environment to roadbuilding and rail privatisation.

  "But it does concern us deeply. We Greens are fundamentally committed to self-determination and democracy. The way Gibraltarians have been more or less excluded from the Anglo-Spanish negotiations is appalling.

  "We continue to believe that the people to decide Gibraltar's future as a nation are the people of Gibraltar.

  "Britain and Spain both have a role in Gibraltar's future - and it must be a supportive, respectful, cooperative role, not Tony Blair's high-handed arrogance, nor the Spanish government's covetousness." 

 The Green Party in England & Wales is kept abreast of developments in Gibraltar by, amongst others, Gibraltar's Independent Liberal Forum. Leading Greens recently met with ILF leader Lyana Armstrong-Emery to discuss potential coorperation between the two parties. Spencer Fitz-Gibbon commented: "We have a lot of common ground on social, economic and environmental issues. And it's probably natural for a Gibraltarian party to want to talk to the Greens in Britain, because we're a growing force and are unafraid to stick our head above the parapet where Gibraltar's self-determination is concerned." (06.02.02)

Straw grilled in House of Commons

   As he referred in the House of Commons about the latest round of talks with Spain over Gibraltar's future,which took place in London yesterday, the foreign secretary Jack Straw was the subject of a grilling, as he came under fire from both sides of the House.
  Mr Straw was being accused of not doing enough to resolve the problems Gibraltar faces from Spain, but he asked the now standard question: Short of resorting to gunboats, what can we do about such problems?
  However, the accusations continued. He was betraying the people of Gibraltar. He was accused of preparing 'trick' questions for a planned referendum on the Anglo-Spanish deal. 
  He saw the planned deal as offering the only opportunity to end to the Spanish "harassment" of the Gibraltarians, suggesting that a deal would allow for greater self-government.
  From his own party, Louise Ellman gave Straw quite a bashing. She spoke of Gibraltarians' deep hostility towards falling under Spanish sovereignty. And another Labour MP, the chairman of the all-party Gibraltar group in Parliament, Lindsay Hoyle, said the UK could be accused of double standards by not accepting democratic practice at Gibraltar, such as accepting self-determination, while heralding such concepts elsewhere in the world.
  Straw was also asked to abandon the process with Spain. Gerald Kaufman, a senior Labour MP, spoke of how British the Gibraltarians were.
  Mr Michael Ancram, the shadow foreign secretary who recently visited Gibraltar, wanted the people of Gibraltar to have their say in a referendum before an agreement was reached. He spoke of 'sellout' and of 'betrayal.'
  Once again, there was strong support for Gibraltar in the House of Commons, where Foreign Office minister Peter Hain was sitting close to Straw. Earlier this week in a BBC radio programme,  Haine and Gibraltar chief minister Peter Caruana accused each other of not telling the truth.(05.02.02)

Opposition launch second phase of plan of action

  The Opposition consider that our campaign to derail the Anglo-Spanish joint-sovereignty agreement got off to a flying start yesterday with the highly successful demonstration that took place at the frontier. This will serve as a springboard for the next phases of the Plan of Action that now come into operation.

  There has to be a targetted, coherent and organised attempt to convince Members of Parliament of Gibraltar's case and to keep them informed.

  Members of the public should "adopt an MP" and write to them and keep them abreast of developments in Gibraltar. That person should effectively become the MPs contact in Gibraltar and one of the channels of information to keep parliamentarians in the United Kingdom aware of what is happening here and what our views are.

  The letter writing campaign will also be extended to MPs who are hostile to Gibraltar in an effort to convince them to change their minds. This failing, there must also be a campaign in the constituencies of various Members of Parliament that are hostile to Gibraltar, particularly in marginal seats. This should take the form of writing to the Chairmen and members of their constituency parties. 

  Letters should also be sent for publication to the local and regional press in the United Kingdom in the constituency of that particular Member of Parliament, in order to make any anti-Gibraltar views known to the voting electorate that put the MP where he is today that can get him out again at the next General Election. This is something that the Opposition has already started to do.

  Yesterday Opposition Leader Joe Bossano took advantage of an interview with BBC Midlands to expose three MPs from the Midlands (Sully Oaks, Erdington and Edgbaston) who are supporting the negotiations with Spain.

  The Opposition has been compiling lists of Members of Parliament and lists of regional newspapers for members of the public to be able to help Gibraltar in this campaign. The constituencies that MPs belong to and everything else is in any case public information. It is essential that standard letters or e-mails are not sent out.

   What we are looking for are personalised letters, obviously along the same theme of derailing the deal and opposing joint-sovereignty. There is also a need to locate relatives and friends in the constituencies to help out.

  The Opposition is now starting to take names, addresses and contact details of those people who would like to participate in this campaign in order to allocate different Members of Parliament to different people. "We are obviously looking for people who are against the deal and do not want Gibraltar to participate in the process. Those who would like to help are urged come and supply their details to the Liberal Party office in Irish Town or to the GSLP office in Watergardens," they say. 

  The Opposition  says it is absolutely confident that we can stop the deal with your support. (05.02.02)

Gibraltar will reject deal, says Caruana

Gibraltar's chief minister Peter Caruana said in Strasbourg today that the people of Gibraltar would reject the joint sovereignty deal currently being worked out by Britain and Spain.

  He argued in favour of the Gibraltarians deciding their own future and noted hat talks between London and Madrid will get nowhere, because without Gibraltar being present nothing can be resolved.

  Caruana is refusing to attend talks on the grounds that Gibraltar will be presented with a fait accompli which will remain as Anglo-Spanish policy, even if the Gibraltarians vote against in a referendum.

  The chief minister is visiting the European Parliament where he has been meeting members of different political groups. (05.02.02)

Frontier declaration rejects sell-out 

A huge crowd waving British and Gibraltar flags gathered at the Spanish land frontier on Monday evening and proclaimed that "This is where Spain ends and where Gibraltar begins," as Opposition leader Joe Bossano put it to the cheering crowd.

The demonstration ended with a declaration being read out which said: "We reject and repudiate the sharing of the sovereignty of our land with Spain in any shape or form, as the soil of Gibraltar belongs to no one but the people of Gibraltar. It is neither Spain's to claim not the UK's to give away."

The march on the frontier was organised by the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party and the Gibraltar Liberal Party, who represent the parliamentary opposition. It was timed to coincide with the Anglo-Spanish talks in London between the UK foreign secretary Jack Straw and the Spanish foreign minister Josep Pique.

Placards carried by the protestors reminded UK prime minister Tony Blair that "Gibraltar is not for sale."

Mr Bossano told the cheering crowd: "We want to live in peace and harmony with our neighbour, but you cannot when that neighbour wants half your home."

He was referring to a plan by Britain for joint sovereignty with Spain which, said Mr Bossano, had been confirmed to him by a senior Foreign Office official.

The crowd was estimated at between 2,000 and 4,000, depending on who you spoke to. They marched impressively across the airport runway, to the tune of the Gibraltar anthem and with flags flying in the evening breeze, and onto the Spanish frontier. "We will win," said Bossano.

The Gibraltar Declaration

We, the people of Gibraltar, gathered in public assembly on this 4th day of February 2002 at the land frontier between our country and Spain, hereby reject and repudiate the negotiation of the sovereignty of our land taking place today in London between the UK and Spain and further we pledge ourselves to prevent the implementation of any formula for sharing sovereignty of our land with Spain emerging in a joint declaration.

We hereby make the Gibraltar declaration as follows:

1. We are entitled to respect for the Gibraltarian way of life as a matter of right.

2. We are entitled to respect for our EU and other international rights, including the inalienable right to self determination under the international rule of law.

3. We are entitled to decolonisation and a maximum possible level of self-government in accordance with the UN Declaration on Decolonisation and Independence for Colonial Territories and Peoples, which is fully applicable to Gibraltar.

4. We reject and repudiate the sharing of the sovereignty of our land with Spain in any shape or form, as the soil of Gibraltar belongs to no one but the people of Gibraltar. It is neither Spain’s to claim nor the UK’s to give away.

We therefore hereby declare that the UK Government has no legal or moral authority to give any pledge to Spain contrary to this declaration. 

London Talks joint communiqué

BRUSSELS PROCESS MINISTERIAL MEETING: 4 FEBRUARY 2002

At our meeting today we continued to make good progress in our discussions about Gibraltar in the atmosphere of friendship and understanding which links the UK and Spain, reaffirming the full range of commitments that we assumed at our previous meetings in London and Barcelona.

Our common aim remains to conclude a comprehensive agreement before the summer, covering all outstanding issues, including cooperation and sovereignty.

Both Governments confirmed that their shared objective is to overcome their differences over Gibraltar and to ensure a secure future for Gibraltar in which Gibraltar can preserve its way of life and traditions, enjoy greater internal self-government, sustain and enhance its prosperity, and reap the full benefits of a harmonious and mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields together with the wider region.

We reiterate our invitation to the Chief Minister of Gibraltar to attend future Brussels Process meetings so that he, and through him the Gibraltarians, can join the current dialogue and contribute to it to the benefit of Gibraltar. We confirmed that the Chief Minister is warmly invited to participate on the basis of the Two Flags, Three Voices formula, having his own and distinct voice as part of the British delegation.

Our intention is that the comprehensive agreement we seek will offer the best framework for a secure, stable and prosperous future for Gibraltar. In that framework our objective is that Gibraltar can enjoy enhanced powers of internal self-government allowing its government and population to have a greater say in their lives. We will invite the Government of Gibraltar to develop together with us the relevant ideas on this objective.

We also took forward our work on all the possible ways of enhancing cooperation to improve the quality of the daily lives of people in Gibraltar and the Campo region. The 13K and Spain reaffirmed that the aim of the arrangements they seek is to promote the highest levels of fruitful cooperation within the wider region, favouring better standards of living and working conditions in Gibraltar and the Campo, and fluid communications with the region.

The Spanish government recalled the arrangements it had made to allocate a further 70,000 telephone numbers for Gibraltar and reaffirmed that, as regards the technical responsibilities of the Spanish side, they are operational. It expressed its commitment to ensure that no obstacles prevent their immediate use for the benefit of all Gibraltarians. To that end, the UK and Spain agreed to engage in immediate talks to assess the situation and attain that objective. Both Governments also tackled the issue of pensions, a problem on which they will intensify their efforts to find a prompt solution consistent with the responsibilities of the public authorities involved.

London talks: Straw offers joint rule

 Senior British officials have admitted that the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, and his Spanish counterpart, Josep Pique, are to make shared sovereignty the basis of a controversial deal on Gibraltar to be discussed when they meet in London today, reports The Guardian. 
  The first public confirmation that power-sharing would form the core element of an accord to end 300 years of disputes over the Rock came yesterday from Gibraltar's elected chief minister, Peter Caruana. 
  He said that James Bevan, the Foreign Office's chief Gibraltar negotiator, had informed him that a forthcoming Anglo-Spanish declaration, similar to the 1993 Downing Street declaration that opened the way to peace talks in Northern Ireland, would include power-sharing. 
  "It is clear that what they are proposing is that the United Kingdom and Spain issue a joint declaration of principles which includes a compromise on the part of the United Kingdom on sharing sovereignty," Mr Caruana told El Pais newspaper. The chief minister swore to do all he could to block the deal. 
  It was thought to be unlikely that the declaration would be ready for signing today, but both sides have pledged to produce a deal before the summer.(04.02.02) 

London demonstration relays Gibraltar's message of disgust

  Between 30 and 40 people gathered in central London on a wet and windy day to demonstrate against the Anglo-Spanish talks opver Gibraltar's future.

  Organised by the London Gibraltarian Society, its spokesman Owen Smith said there was a positive feeling among those there, but who were nevertheless wary of the outcome.

  Shouts of 'Shame on Hain' and 'Self-determination now' could be heard.

  Placards said that Gibraltar was not for Britain to give away or for Spain to claim.

  Other placards cried: 'Shame, Shame, Shame' and 'Labour sell-out'.

  There was much media interest.

  IN SPAIN the afternoon television news made reference to the Gibraltarian demonstration in London. (04.02.02) 

Straw to 'sign away Gib'

  Although it may not be formally signed at the London talks today, all pointers were that Britain is offering Spain the joint sovereignty of Gibraltar, which has prompted Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram to say that 'sovereignty shared is sovereignty surrendered."

  The Daily telegraph says Tony Blair has been accused of "airbrushing Gibraltar away", with Gibraltar opposition leader Joe Bossano saying that Britain must retain control.

  The Financial Times refers to chief minister Peter Caruana having boycotted the talks.

  On BBC Today programme Foreign Office minister Peter Hain and Mr Caruana accused each other of not telling the truth, which reflects the poor state of relations between Britain and The Rock.

  IN GIBRALTAR the Voice of Gibraltar group staged an all-day vigil outside the British governor's residence in the Main Street, to drive the point home of utter disapproval at the London talks.

  Liberal Party leader Dr Joseph Garcia told Spanish TV that they were against the deal being prepared because it did not respect Gibraltar's right to self-determination. (04.02.02)

Britain to share with Spain control over Gibraltar 

 Britain is preparing to give up total sovereignty over Gibraltar when it issues a joint declaration with Spain on Monday on the future of the Rock, says The Independent newspaper today.

  The deal giving joint sovereignty to Spain comes as concerns in London over "selling out" the citizens of Gibraltar are outweighed by the desire for a new Anglo-Spanish axis within the European Union.

  Both London and Madrid agree they have never been so close to a breakthrough. It is largely attributable to the esteem the British and Spanish premiers, Tony Blair and José Maria Aznar, have for each other, and their determination to co-operate in Europe, says the report.

  The paper adds: Britain must win over the Gibraltarians. As with the Anglo-Irish peace process, the two governments are leading the way with a proposed joint declaration – like the 1993 Downing Street Declaration on Northern Ireland – that they hope will win eventual acceptance among Gibraltarians.

  Mr Aznar said yesterday: "Things are nicely under way ...I hope we will be able to reach conclusions soon."

  His remarks echo those of Peter Hain, the minister for Europe, who spoke of "good progress" being made and drew parallels with the Northern Ireland process.

  Joint sovereignty was originally proposed by Madrid as a transition towards eventual transfer to Spain. Last autumn, Britain returned the idea to Madrid with tough conditions: joint sovereignty must be indefinite and not open to review. And Spain must renounce its claim over the Rock.

 "Spain is prepared to accept indefinite joint sovereignty, but will not lightly renounce its centuries-long claim. It also wants to redesignate Britain's base on the Rock as Nato's," says the report. (02.02.02)

Foreign Office denies 'shared control' agreed

The Foreign Office has rejected a report that a deal on joint sovereignty was being agreed, according to the newsagency 'Europa Press'.

The Independent reported earlier today that Britain was ready to share control over Gibraltar with Spain. But a Foreign Office spokesman said that decisions have not been taken over the question of joint sovereignty.

The spokesman said both sides were working on a 'comprehensive' agreement to resolve all pending questions, including cooperation and sovereignty, before next summer. (02.02.02)

Thousands of leaflets about frontier demonstration

Thousands of leaflets calling for a demonstration at the Spanish land frontier are being distributed throughout Gibraltar by the GSLP/Liberal Alliance, the elected opposition in Gibraltar.

  "What is at stake is our future and the destiny of our country," says the leaflet. The first step of a plan of actyon will be on Monday at 6pm to coincide with the Anglo-Spanish meeting in London.

  "We shall congregate in the area of the Cross of Sacrifice and march across the runway to demonstrate in front of the frontier with Spain so that they get the message once and for all...the frontier is where Spain ends and where Gibraltar begins," says the leaflet.

  It adds that the UK Government is willing to agree with Spain a statement of principle to share Gibraltar's sovereignty. "UK has no right to negotiate a shared sovereignty deal with Spain when it knows full well that the vast majority of us are opposed to it," said the Alliance.

  Picking on this point today, Opposition members held a meeting at the Piazza and said it was 'democratic fraud' for Britain to proceed with a deal which a small minority may want, but not the vast majority. The Alliance is now handling the issue as if it were an election campaign, visiting the different districts to urge people to come out and be counted. "The deal must be stopped," is the message being relayed. (02.02.02)

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