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DEAL IS DONE
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Britain, Spain and Gibraltar have agreed the pending is sues in the tripartite negotiations, but due to delays on the UK side over the Spanish pensions, it will not now be possible to sign the deal at ministerial talks today and tomorrow as had been planned, said a leak from the Spanish foreign ministry to Spanish media.
The Spanish and the Gibraltar government had agreed, with inordinate haste, that the deal be signed at a ministerial meeting in Cordoba today and tomorrow, but the UK delayed agreement on the pensions till Friday, later than had been expected, which meant that the deal will not now be signed until the end of August or early September.
However, the three sides plan to issue a statement today about the deal that has been concluded, possibly giving the date for its signature.
'SPANISH POLICE IN AIRPORT'
Differences over the airport deal were ironed out over a meal between the Spanish secretary of state Benardino Leon and the chief minister Peter Caruana in the Campo area last week.
The question whether flights from Spain would be regarded as Spanish internal flights; control of passengers and the presence of Spanish National Police in the airport were considered.
According to Spanish diplomatic sources, Benardino Leon and Peter Caruana agreed that controls will be shared by Spain and Gibraltar, and that there will be Spanish police.
It is also said elsewhere that formulae will be used that are liable to different interpretations as to where and how passengers from Schengen or not are controlled,
Spanish sources said that the payment of updated pensions to Spaniards will cost around ?200 million, shared by different UK ministries (MOD,
Treasury and Foreign Affairs). Details on improving
frontier controls, and telephone issues have been agreed.
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