MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Aznar: “Gibraltar one day will be returned to Spain”

Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar categorically stated to the American media that Gibraltar will “one day be returned to Spanish sovereignty”.

Mr. Aznar paid a two-day visit to the United States meeting President George Bush largely to discuss international terrorism since Spain has become one of the US main allies in its worldwide combat of terrorism and a full member of the Iraq alliance.

Mr. Aznar described terrorism as ?the new totalitarianism' and pledged current Spanish.-American relations to be the best in the history of the two countries. Addressing the American press Mr Aznar said Gibraltar has been "a small problem for Spain for the last 300 years" but he hoped for and desired "the full reintegration of Gibraltar to Spanish sovereignty".

The Spanish president described the "colonial status" of Gibraltar as "absolutely unusual", since Spain and the United Kingdom are members of the European Union and NATO, adding that it was the only case in the world of a country maintaining a colony on the territory of another nation on the same continent.

Mr. Aznar underlined that the Spanish Government will maintain its position on Gibraltar and vowed that Gibraltarians would one day "be well received as members of the Kingdom of Spain and as compatriots of the Spaniards."