MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chances of Gibraltar agreement, “simply nil”

Great Britain believes that the chances of reaching a sovereignty agreement with Spain on Gibraltar without the consent of the inhabitants of the Rock are “simply nil”, said British Secretary for European Affairs, Denis MacShane.

In a long Sunday interview with Madrid's newspaper El País, Mr. MacShane remarked that "Gibraltar is to Britain what Ceuta and Melilla is to Spain", in direct reference to the two enclaves in northern Morocco.

"For the British people and Parliament, the chances of reaching an agreement that is not accepted by the people of Gibraltar are simply zero".

"People of Gibraltar feel their British identity as strongly as the people of Ceuta and Melilla feel their Spanish identity", expressed the European Affairs Minister of the Foreign Office, who added he had doubts about Gibraltar's support to changes in the current situation.

"I have many doubts that the people of Gibraltar will support any major change in their statute before a long period of very calm and friendly relations with Spain can be achieved", expressed Mr. MacShane who personally believes this could only happen in "25, 30 years" when a possible solution to the Anglo Spanish sovereignty dispute could be foreseeable.

"In a modern democratic Europe, making decisions without the democratic consent of the people is a very dangerous affair", underlined Mr. MacShane.