MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Gibraltar tripartite process overcomes minor tremor

A joint “damage control” release from Spain, United Kingdom and the government of Gibraltar tried to recover the tripartite Cordoba process which was severely exposed when Spanish Foreign Affairs minister “slipped with an error” in an interview with a local newspaper.

The Cordoba process is a tripartite agreement (UK, Spain, Gib) by which sovereignty disputes over Gibraltar are set aside and the three sides concentrate on improving communications and development between the British Overseas Territory and neighboring Spanish territory.

The row erupted last week over a misinterpretation of the aviation links expressed by Spanish Foreign Affairs minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, which delayed talks and demanded a clarification from Gibraltar's Chief minister Peter Caruana.

The joint statement from the Foreign Office, Spain's Foreign Affairs and Cooperation ministry and the Gibraltar government ensures that all sides are clear on the content of the Cordoba agreement.

It restates that the Cordoba Airport Statement "has no implication for sovereignty, jurisdiction or control of Gibraltar Airport. No participant has made a sovereignty advance".

It also declares that the Forum of Dialogue on Gibraltar and the Cordoba Statements "have no implications whatsoever in relation to the position of any of the participants on the question of the validity of the Treaty of Utrecht".

The statement reiterates the terms of the airport agreement and Gibraltar points out that "while a company co-owned by Gibraltar and Spanish commercial interests will have a contractual commercial concession to operate the terminal and provide the aforesaid services, no Spanish authority will participate in the management of the terminal".

The statement makes clear that Spanish officials will not control entry to and exit from Gibraltar, "which remains the exclusive responsibility of the Gibraltar Authorities". The statement is, in effect, a formal clarification of the remarks made by Moratinos which sent a flurry of political waves through Gibraltar.

"Under the terms of the Cordoba Statement Spanish Officials (located north of the fence/frontier in a manner facilitated by the design of the terminal) will clear passengers flying between Gibraltar and a Spanish Airport in respect of entry to and exit from Spain. Spanish officials will thus not control entry to and exit from Gibraltar, which remains the exclusive responsibility of the Gibraltar Authorities. We accordingly confirm the position in this respect as stated by the Chief Minister on Monday," says the statement, adding that the Cordoba Statement does not provide for Spanish officials to control entry into or exit from any other Schengen destination.