UN Ignores Gibraltar's Pleas

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

08 October 2002

The United Nations on Friday urged the UK and Spain to continue negotiations with a view to reaching a settlement over the sovereignty of Gibraltar, despite an impassioned plea for intervention from the Rock's Chief Minister, Peter Caruana.

Speaking last week, Mr Caruana asked the UN to refer the Gibraltar case to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion; to amend the consensus resolution to give the people of Gibraltar an equal and separate voice in dialogue; and to refer in the Resolution to the primacy of the wishes of the people of Gibraltar, and the principle of self determination.

He asked if, by continuing to sanction the bilateral negotiations process, the General Assembly is : 'thereby saying that the wishes of the people of Gibraltar do not matter and should be disregarded, that we do not enjoy the right to self determination and that the UK and Spain should therefore resolve their alleged differences over Gibraltar bilaterally over the heads of the people of Gibraltar?'

However, this appears to be exactly what the international dispute resolution body is saying. On Friday, the General Assembly reiterated its position, announcing in a statement that it: 'would urge both governments to continue their negotiations with the object of reaching a definitive solution to the problem of Gibraltar in light of relevant General Assembly resolutions and in the spirit of the United Nations Charter.'

The text of the UN's draft decision was reportedly approved without a vote, although the representative for Saint Lucia expressed dissatisfaction with the decision.

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