Changing Of The Guard In Gibraltar

Tax-news.com

05 January 2000

The Governor of Gibraltar, Sir Richard Luce, will end his term in the territory in March this year. Sir Richard, a former Foreign Office junior minister, was Gibraltar's first civilian governor and his active and outspoken style was always a source of concern for those trying to negotiate the minefield that Gibraltar government and politics can often be.

Although Sir Richard's replacement has already been selected by the UK Foreign Office, the identity of Gibraltar's new Governor is not being announced yet.

In another important event in Gibraltar politics, the United Nations has recently approved two new resolutions relevant to the decolonisation of Gibraltar. The first resolution called for the eradication of all colonialism, which only the United Kingdom and the United States voted against. The second resolution affirmed that colonial powers must report annually to the General Assembly regarding those colonies remaining on the UN's list until such time as the Assembly decides that an acceptable level of self determination has been achieved.

The UN has also called on Spain and the UK to continue negotiating on the criteria for decolonisation of Gibraltar. While Gibraltar politicians have noted the positive aspects of the UN's position, they are also worried that the decolonisation issue is being treated as a bilateral process between the UK and Spain, with Gibraltar being excluded from the process.

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