MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UN listing of British Overseas territories is an “anachronism”

The British Government has said that it agrees with the Foreign Affairs Committee's (FAC) statement that Gibraltar's presence on the UN list of Non-Self Governing Territories is an anachronism.

In a formal reply to the FAC report on Britain's Overseas Territories the Foreign Office says that it has already made clear on a number of occasions that it does not believe that Gibraltar should remain on the list. "The criteria used by the UN Committee of 24 in its deliberation on whether a Non- Self Governing Territory should be 'de-listed' fail to take into account how the relationship between the UK and Gibraltar has been modernised in a way that is acceptable to both parties," says the Foreign Office. It adds that the 2006 Gibraltar constitution provides for a modern relationship between Gibraltar and the UK. "As we made clear in relation to the latest Article 73 report on Gibraltar, we only continue to make such submissions because we are obliged to do so under the UN Charter. Aside from these Gibraltar specific considerations, the UK does not consider that any of its Overseas Territories should remain on the UN list of Non-Self Governing Territories. We continue to make this point regularly to the UN." The FAC had itself welcomed the Cordoba Agreement and the progress being made on cooperation between Gibraltar, Spain and the UK in the Trilateral Forum. The Foreign Office in turn says the Cordoba agreements are on track and working well. "We believe the imposition of Spanish restrictions in relation to military movements between Spain and Gibraltar is inappropriate," says the FCO adding that it supports the Committee's views and has made representations to Spain to address the issue. "We also work closely with Spain as a NATO ally and will, in this context, continue to engage with Spain to find a constructive solution." Noting the Committee's recommendation that the UK Government should continue to make strong representations to Spain about its failure to recognise Gibraltar's territorial waters, the FCO states that the United Kingdom Government is "fully confident of its sovereignty over Gibraltar's territorial waters and will continue to make this clear to Spain whenever appropriate." (Gibraltar Chronicle).-