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Gibraltar is a colony - until it becomes
Spanish ,says Spain at the UN
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The Spanish UN representative told the committee of 24 that Spain is fully committed to the decolonisation of Gibraltar, meaning that it should be Spanish. It is therefore against Gibraltar's exclusion from the list of colonies because, at present, the situation in Gibraltar is colonial in nature.
The Spanish representative Alberto Virella was speaking in the session where Gibraltar's opposition leader Joe Bossano took part, as reported yesterday.
This is the full text of what the Spanish representative said as supplied by the Spanish mission at the UN, being their translation from the Spanish: Allow me to begin by congratulating you as well as the other members of the Bureau for your election. On behalf of the Spanish Government, I wish that with the support of the Decolonization Unit of the Secretariat, the activities of the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, which is about to conclude, would be enhanced, and that we can assure ourselves that, with the joint effort of all, the question of decolonization will continue to be a priority for the United Nations.
After the detailed statement by the Spanish representative at the Regional Seminar on Decolonization that took place last month in Saint Kitts and Nevis, today I will attempt to be brief and to limit myself to state before this Committee the essential parameters that, in my Government?s opinion, determine the decolonization process regarding the question of Gibraltar.
I must remind this Committee that my Government is fully committed to the decolonization process, and in particular to the decolonization of Gibraltar, the only non-self-governing territory that a European State maintains within the territory of another European State. In this regard, it is a situation that is more prominent, if you will, because we are referring to two Member States of the European Union and allies of the North Atlantic Treaty. As this delegation has stated in previous occasions, I reiterate that, as always, Spain wishes to put an end to this colonial situation, as Spain is most interested in making progress in the negotiations on sovereignty.
Furthermore, it is necessary to remember that the situation of Gibraltar is of a colonial nature, and in that regard, it is incompatible with the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter. This situation, which undermines the national unity and territorial integrity of Spain, is based on the Treaty of Utrecht, which is in force and accepted by Spain and the United Kingdom. Under this Treaty, Gibraltar must continue to be British or once again become Spanish.
On another hand, the mandate of the United Nations concerning Gibraltar has been clear since 1964. Through its annual decisions, it urges the United Kingdom and Spain to maintain bilateral negotiations in order to find a negotiated solution that will take into account the interests of the inhabitants of the colony.
CALL FOR TALKS UNDER BRUSSELS AGREEMENT
In accordance to this mandate, I must once again my Government?s firm wish to renew conversations with the United Kingdom within the framework of the Brussels Process.
The Spanish Government is convinced that the work of this Committee continues to be fully relevant and that we must work within the parameters of the UN doctrine and mandate despite statements to the contrary that could have been heard in this forum. We support the position of the Chairman of this Committee to purse a pragmatic and realistic approach taking into account the specific circumstances of each territory, on a case-by-case basis.
All in all, we oppose any attempt to the delisting of Gibraltar from the list of territories that are undergoing the decolonization process, for it would undermine the procedure established by the United Nations on the basis of an alleged new, modern constitutional relationship that is not more than a sort of ?colonialism by consent? and does not comply with the doctrine or the content of UN resolutions.
Despite the scarce progress made regarding the decolonization of Gibraltar, we must congratulate ourselves for the success of the Forum of Dialogue on Gibraltar. Spain is fully committed to this process that was initiated in 2004 and which is focused on reaching a solution through cooperation to the local problems that affect the welfare of the inhabitants of Gibraltar and of its surrounding area.
TRIPARTITE TALKS AS PRELUDE TO SOVEREIGNTY DEAL
Spain hopes that the agreements reached in these meetings within the Forum of Dialogue, along with the implementation of the decisions taken within it, will contribute towards the favourable conditions that will allow us to resolve the questions of sovereignty separately, within the framework of the Brussels Process.
Finally, we must reaffirm Spain?s willingness to renew its commitment to negotiate with the United Kingdom, within the framework of the United Nations, in order to pave the way for the adoption by consensus by the General Assembly, once again, of the decision on Gibraltar, based on the conviction that it is the only way to reach a definitive solution to the question of Gibraltar.
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