MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Britain tells UN new constitution decolonized Gibraltar

Chief Minister Peter Caruana

The British Government has told the United Nations that Gibraltar, --which is disputed by neighboring Spain-- should be removed from the Unite Nations list of colonies, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

Although Britain holds that view in respect of other territories too because it believes the UN's decolonisation criteria is outdated, it has pointed to an additional difference in the case of the Rock, Chief Minister Peter Caruana told the local Parliament. Gibraltar's new Constitution, Britain told the UN, has placed it into a modern, non-colonial relationship with the UK. The British position was set out in a covering letter to the annual report submitted to the UN's Committee of 24, which deals with the issue of decolonisation and meets in New York this month. Although it was presented by the British Government, this year's report to the UN was prepared by the Gibraltar Government and that fact was made clear to the UN committee. Mr Caruana said that both the British and Gibraltar Governments believed that Gibraltar had been decolonized by virtue of its Constitution and that this had been repeated by British ministers on several occasions. He questioned why the Opposition did not accept that position and rather preferred to repeatedly refer to UN delisting as crucial. "I don't suppose they'll ever accept [that Gibraltar is decolonized] until they hear it on the lips of a Spanish foreign minister," he said