Optimism In Gibraltar Growing Over Anglo-Spanish Talks, Report Suggests

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

13 June 2002

According to a report from the Panorama news service, optimism is growing in Gibraltar that the Anglo-Spanish sovereignty talks have ground to a permanent halt.

Citing articles in the Spanish daily, La Vanguardia - the newspaper which at the end of last month conducted a survey which revealed that over 60% of Spaniards polled were in favour of granting the Rock its independence - Panorama suggested that although Chief Minister, Peter Caruana has been less vocal than Opposition leader, Joe Bossano in his glee over the breakdown of talks, the two men are, on this issue at least, of the same mind.

In its report on Wednesday, Panorama quoted Mr Bossano as speculating that 'when London and Madrid fail...we will demand self-determination via constitutional reform.'

The newspaper then went on to suggest that: 'The feeling in Gibraltar is that Britain and Spain have pushed themselves into a cul de sac, because they have not succeeded in getting the Gibraltarians involved,' explaining that: 'Without the Gibraltarians, London has its hands tied because of the commitment in the preamble to the constitution.

This commitment states that: 'Her Majesty's Government will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes'.

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