  |
Picardo must demand that the Spanish ambassador retracts that 'bilateralism' is taking place
|
A Spanish diplomat holding high office, such as the Spanish Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Federico Trillo, takes the view that 'bilateralism' between Britain and Spain over Gibraltar is alive and taking place.
But the Gibraltar government thinks that "bilateralism" over Gibraltar is totally contrary to what is communicated to all officials of Spain by the UK Government, or that is what Chief Minister Fabian Picardo is being told. So, what is going on?
Said a Gibraltar government statement: "The position of the UK restated repeatedly by the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe and even by the Prime Minister himself, is that "there’s no change in the (British) Government’s position. It’s for the people of Gibraltar themselves to determine their future and we wouldn’t engage in any discussion about Gibraltar that the Gibraltarians didn’t want us to engage in and I think that’s important to understand."
In fact, adds No.6, Gibraltar is united against any bilateral engagement between the UK and Spain over Gibraltar: "UK/Spain bilateralism is dead and will never ever be revived under any circumstances. Spanish ministers and their diplomatic corps need to understand that."
On numerous occasions since taking office, the Chief Minister has stated categorically that Gibraltar continues to support the trilateral process and cannot subscribe to any other form of dialogue with the Spanish state.
But the new PP government does not agree, and the Spanish foreign Minister Sr Margallo has repeatedly stated that bilateral contact is Spanish policy.
However, the Gibraltar government believes the Tripartate Forum provides an adequate framework to resolve matters of mutual interest to the citizens on both sides of the border. This is the policy of Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar and is totally in line with the policy of the British Government as also stated on numerous occasions and communicated to the Spanish Foreign Minister by Foreign Secretary William Hague.
"There is therefore no change in the policies of either the UK or Gibraltar on the matter and the Spanish Government, media and, presumably, Spanish diplomats must be fully aware of this," No. 6 added.
NEED FOR FIRM DENIAL
However, writes our political correspondent, the fact that a diplomat holding a position as senior as that of Spanish Ambassador in London holds a contrary view cannot be dismissed without a proper investigation. The least the people of Gibraltar expect is for its Chief Minister to make the appropriate representations to the Foreign Secretary to get him to ask the Spanish ambassador to firmly and unequivocally state in a public statement that 'bilateralism' has not been recovered. This is not a matter that can be treated in a wishy-washy type of fashion.
12-07-12
|
|
|
|
