MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Spanish opposition reacts to Ban Ki-moon’s approach to decolonization process

Popular Party MP Jose Ignacio Landaluce

Spanish opposition Popular Party MP José Ignacio Landaluce said this week that the only option for the decolonisation of Gibraltar was its return to Spain. He was reacting to comments made by the United Nations’ Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who has called for a “pragmatic and realistic” approach to the decolonisation process.

He wants governments to take into account the specific circumstances of each country – including Gibraltar – still on the UN list of colonies.

On Monday, the Gibraltar political system welcomed the UN chief’s statement and said it was a step in the right direction toward delisting through self-determination. But unsurprisingly Landaluce offered a sharply different interpretation.

He said the UN Secretary General’s statement would benefit the Spanish position and that, while the voice of Gibraltarians must be heard in the decolonisation process, international law meant the only option was the return of Gibraltar to Spain, as per the Treaty of Utrecht.

He called on Spanish foreign minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos to adopt a “firm and conclusive” position on the recovery of sovereignty over Gibraltar.

For the Gibraltar Government and the UK, the UN’s position on Gibraltar is largely academic, given that both governments consider its decolonisation process outdated. As far as they are concerned, Britain and Gibraltar already enjoy a modern, non-colonial constitutional relationship under British sovereignty.