Wikinews

Gibraltarian Chief Minister suggests joint sovereignty with Spain

This is the stable version, checked on 27 September 2015. Template changes await review.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Related articles
Location of Spain
Collaborate!
Spain
Spain
Celebrations with the flags of Gibraltar and the United Kingdom
Image: Gibnews.

Chief Minister of Gibraltar Peter Caruana has been discussing the possibility of the British overseas territory having joint sovereignty with Spain. He suggested that Gibraltar take an Andorra-style status.

Caruana's suggestion has caused controversy in both Gibraltar and the United Kingdom. Many people in Gibraltar have said they want to remain British and Gibraltarian. The media in Gibraltar has also spoken out against the move using the phrase "Give Spain an inch and they will take a mile!" His decision has come as a surprise; in 2002 Caruana announced a referendum against joint sovereignty. If the plan goes ahead, another referendum would be held.

Andorra received their joint sovereignty in 1993. The move forced the European Union to change its constitution. Andorra has a joint deal with Spain and France.

Some Spanish politicians are worrying that the suggestion will be too heavily looked into during the 2012 Spanish general election. Trinidad Jiménez, Spain's minister for foreign affairs, has asked that it not be a part of their election agenda.

Liberal member Dr Joseph Garcia also commented on the event. He said “The Spanish claim to Gibraltar has always featured to a greater or lesser extent in every general election in Gibraltar and the next ones are not likely to be any different.”

He added that “There is serious concern on the Rock at the number and scale of Spanish incursions into Gibraltar's territorial sea. We had pointed out that the Guardia Civil were becoming increasingly reckless and cavalier in their intrusions into Gibraltar's waters. This was seen at the end of last year when they entered the Port of Gibraltar and actually landed on Gibraltar soil. There was also another extremely serious incursion in September of this year where the Guardia Civil removed a suspect who was about to be arrested by the Royal Gibraltar Police inside our territorial waters. They have shown a complete lack of respect for British sovereignty, jurisdiction and control over Gibraltar's territorial sea and it is imperative that these incursions cease forthwith before the matter escalates even further. Spain must understand that under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Gibraltar is legally entitled to claim territorial waters of its own.”


Sources

 

Share this:           


 

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

  This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Gibraltarian_Chief_Minister_suggests_joint_sovereignty_with_Spain&oldid=3851241"