MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Aznar insists Spanish sovereignty for Gibraltar

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on Wednesday insisted that Gibraltar, ruled by Britain since 1713, should eventually be returned and become an integral part of Spain

The visiting Aznar in Washington, said Gibraltar's status dates from the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, acknowledging that "the rock" has been "a small problem (for Spaniards) for almost 300 years." Britain took control of the outcropping at the entrance to the Mediterranean in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Polls among the territory's some 33,000 inhabitants show that the overwhelming majority of them prefer to remain under British rule.

"What I hope for and desire is the full reintegration of Gibraltar to Spanish sovereignty," Aznar said. He said Gibraltar was the only case in the world of one country maintaining a colony on the territory of another nation on he same continent, and noted that both Britain and Spain were members of the European Union and NATO. "It's something absolutely unusual," he said.

Aznar said the Spanish government will maintain its position on this issue and guaranteed that one day, "Gibraltarians will be well received as members of the Kingdom of Spain and as compatriots of the Spaniards." "It's well-known," he added jokingly, "that the British are a little stubborn, but they'll get it in the end."