MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

HMS Sceptre left Gibraltar.

As expected the British nuclear powered submarine HMS Sceptre left
this morning at 09.00 local time clearing the harbour under its own
power and quickly passing down the center of the Bay of Gibraltar.

This Friday 9th February, is the first of the proposed three-way meetings between the UK, Spanish and Gibraltar Government representatives in Malaga.

It seems that every Spaniard is expecting, or demanding, to have his or her ?interest' raised at this meeting. As well as submarines, topics include joint use of the airport, pensions, workers' discrimination, and the environmental effects of the Eastside project.

There is no mention of telephones, queues or Gibraltar being excluded from the EU and international sporting bodies due to political intransigence in Madrid.

Everyone hopes that the talks are as successful as the repairs to HMS Sceptre and that everything will be settled as quickly the submarine left this morning, yet a dispute that has spanned three centuries is not that easy to bring to a satisfactory conclusion.

Source: gibnews.net