MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Spain at UN calls UK to negotiate an agreement to resolve the question of Gibraltar
“In the context of Brexit, Spain has made a generous proposal to resolve the question of Gibraltar” Spanish foreign minister Dastis said Spain has repeated its traditional position on Gibraltar during an address to the UN General Assembly in New York, describing the Rock as “an anachronism” and highlighting Madrid’s co-sovereignty proposal. Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis focused on Gibraltar briefly during a 17-minute speech that covered key areas of Spanish foreign policy.
He mentioned Gibraltar while reflecting on Brexit and the ongoing negotiations between the EU and the UK. “The European Union is one of the most admirable legal and political constructs to arise following the second world war,” Dastis said, adding ”it has brought Europe unprecedented peace and prosperity.”
“The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the union saddens us, but we will endeavour to ensure that negotiations on a new relationship between the United Kingdom and the union can yield and agreement preserving a close and fruitful relationship between both parties.”
“In the context of Brexit, Spain has made a generous proposal to resolve the question of Gibraltar.”
“It combines the unwavering claim of Spanish sovereignty over the colony with a statute that benefits the Rock’s inhabitants so that they may continue to enjoy the advantage of EU membership.”
“We invite the United Kingdom to negotiate an agreement based on these premises to put an end to an anachronism that seems completely outlandish given the excellent relations between our two countries.”
“We cannot let more time go by without fulfilling the United Nations mandate calling on us to negotiate the question of Gibraltar.”
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Read all commentsSurely it's got nothing with Spain's drive to focus away form its democratic abuses of Catalonia?
Sep 26th, 2017 - 06:15 am +7“anachronism”s: Ceuta and Melilla.
Sep 25th, 2017 - 02:17 pm +6If Spain wasn't so dirty, she would clean her own house first.
I lived and worked in Spain for over six years and my wife and I are still frequent visitors. My first visit to Spain was in 1947 and my next visit will be early October 2017.
Sep 25th, 2017 - 08:54 pm +6I just want to say that in all that time I have never been challenged by Spanish friends, acquaintances and fellow workers over the matter of Gibraltar(El Peñon).
Only once, during a visit to the Cathedral in Palencia, did I have an unpleasant experience. There is a charge for entrance to this Cathedral and the lady collector of the fee guessed my nationality and demanded strongly and unpleasantly that Britain should “devolver el Peñon” - when I pointed out that the territory was ceded to Britain in perpetuity under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht the same lady literally screamed at me that this was the fault of the last inept Habsburg King of Spain, Charles II - El Hechizado(The Bewitched) - who was sadly a victim of Habsburg inbreading and totally incapable of ruling his country and its possessions. She was wrong as the Treaty of Utrecht was enacted during the reign of Phillip V, his successor and the first Bourbon King of Spain.
There is much ignorance in Spain about Gibraltar as there in Argentina about the Falkland Islands.
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