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LATE FLASH: Talks on Gibraltar this week
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by Joe Garcia:
Tripartite talks on Gibraltar are to resume in London this week, said a Gibraltar Government spokesman Monday. The tripartite talks are between representatives of Britain, Spain and Gibraltar.
The last round of talks in February came to an abrupt halt after Spain said she wanted to have more precise details about a new constitution for Gibraltar, which representatives from Britain and Gibraltar have agreed upon. Under the new constitution Britain gives her dependent territory wide powers on internal affairs, with London retaining responsibility mainly for defence and foreign affairs.
The new constitution falls short of full independence. A referendum is planned to approve or reject the constitution.
The Gibraltar Government led by chief minister Peter Caruana, and the leader of the Opposition Joe Bossano, both say that they consider the referendum to be an act of self-determination, and have urged Britain to recognise this.
The British government has been considering its position on the referendum and is expected to make it known on Tuesday when Minister for Europe Geoff Hoon answers a question in the House of Commons.
The Spanish government has been saying that the status of Gibraltar, which it claims, must not be changed, and that Gibraltar must continue to be a British colony or become Spanish. The Gibraltarians want to have their right to self-determination recognised.
The Gibraltar Government said this evening that they, and the British government, "expect to publish the language of the constitution, the preamble and the despatch on Wednesday."
Meanwhile, Caruana leads a Gibraltar delegation which will take part in a new round of the tripartite talks with Spain in London on Thursday and Friday. This round of talks were scheduled to have taken place in Gibraltar, but the Spanish government objects to sending its representatives to the Rock.
The tripartite talks centre on issues of practical cooperation. Issues waiting to be finally agreed include the use by Spain of the Gibraltar airport; payment to former Spanish workers in Gibraltar of updated pensions; improved traffic flow on the Gibraltar land frontier with Spain and telecommunications.
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