MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK ratifies no Gib sovereignty talks without people's consent

Britain will not enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which the people of Gibraltar are not themselves first content. That was the message from Jim Murphy the new British Minister for Europe at the Foreign Office to over 1,200 people gathered at the Guildhall in London for Gibraltar Day last Monday October 22.

Mr Murphy is set to take over the full role of Geoff Hoon and anticipates representing Britain alongside Foreign Secretary David Miliband when the next set of trilateral talks is held at ministerial level. Making clear that "politics is about the future" Mr Murphy asserted that the position Britain has taken on Gibraltar represents its policy of today on Gibraltar. In a message that he described as brief, direct and transparent Mr Murphy said to wide applause that the "UK stands by its commitment to the people of Gibraltar that the UK will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar will pass under the sovereignty of any other state against their wishes". Mr Murphy, who met with Chief Minister Peter Caruana at the Foreign Office to discuss the trilateral forum and EU Inter Governmental issues affecting Gibraltar, also declared that the new constitution provides a "modern" relationship between Gibraltar and the UK. "As the UK made very clear in the United Nations recently, we share the view with the Chief Minister that Gibraltar is now politically mature and the UK Gibraltar relationship is now non-colonial in nature." The Europe Minister expressed thanks to Mr Caruana for his "leadership and vision" in making the trilateral forum a success and said the UK remains committed to that process and "there is much more we can achieve". He said that 'quite rightly' the UK Government stays out of election processes in Gibraltar but he was personally glad that Mr Caruana had been elected for this fourth term. And added that the 81% turn out had been a reflection of the vibrancy of democracy in Gibraltar. From Gibraltar the Office of the Chief Minister, 6 Convent Place, said that the Gibraltar Government "warmly welcomes the UK Government's statement to the Fourth Committee on 15th October relating to Gibraltar". As previously envisaged by the Gibraltar Government, "the UK Government has again made clear, now at the UN itself, its now well-known position(â€Ã‚¦) that the relationship between Gibraltar and the UK is now non-colonial in nature, and further that HMG will not enter into sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content". "Furthermore, in subscribing this year to the Annual Consensus resolution at the UN, the UK has made it clear that references to the Brussels Process have to be understood in the context of the UK's commitment not to enter into sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content, and also in the context of Gibraltar's well known view about the Brussels Process, as regards both sovereignty and bilateralism between the UK and Spain".