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Bossano defends visit of Princess Anne to Gibraltar
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The Leader of the Opposition Joe Bossano has defended the visit to Gibraltar by the Princess Royal in the Spanish media. This follows his being contacted by them for a reaction.
Mr Bossano has pointed out that the line being taken by Spanish politicians on this issue is totally inconsistent. On the one hand they argue that under the Treaty of Utrecht, which ceded Gibraltar to the Crown of Britain forever, Gibraltar can only be British or Spanish and nothing else.
It therefore does not make any sense that Spain should protest when a representative of that same British Crown decides to visit what they accept is a part of her realm.
Mr Bossano explained that it is perfectly normal for members of the British Royal family to exercise their duties in any part of their territory and in this sense Gibraltar is no different. He added that it is no more significant, in this context, than when a member of the Spanish Royal family decides to visit Ceuta, Melilla or the Canary Islands.
The Opposition Leader also told the Spanish media that when the Royal Family comes to Gibraltar on official business, they do so on the advice and with the approval of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. It is obvious that in this case the British Government have not advised Buckingham Palace against the visit otherwise the Princess would not have proceeded with it.
When asked whether the visit could have a negative impact on the tripartite forum, Mr Bossano replied that one thing had nothing to do with the other. He explained that in any case the forum did not seem to be very active at present but there was no reason to suppose that it would come to a halt as a result of the visit.
The Leader of the Opposition also told the Spanish media that the reaction by Spanish politicians to the visit was completely out of tune with the concerns of the Spanish people, who were more worried about their future employment prospects than the travel arrangements of the Princess Royal.
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