Oct 19 - Margallo's "Carrot And Stick" Will Not Work, Says GSD

There is nothing in what Sr Margallo said in Algeciras yesterday that can be attractive to the Gibraltarian, the GSD says, adding that he fails to understand the concept that the people of Gibraltar will not agree to Joint Sovereignty and will not cave in to threats.

Leader of the Opposition, Daniel Feetham, said: "The GSD has always stood for dialogue to seek ways to improve the economies and standard of living of people on both sides of the frontier but never at the price of joint sovereignty. Sr Margallo's carrot and stick approach will not work and it's high time he realised this, though it seems in his case he will pursue the agenda regardless.

"One issue that is clear, however, is that Sr Margallo will attempt to exclude Gibraltar from a U.K.-EU Brexit deal at a very early juncture and shortly after the U.K. delivers an Article 50 notice by the end of March next year. I have warned Parliament about this possibility during the debate on the creation of the EU Select Committee.

"Once the U.K. delivers its article 50 notice, the EU Commission and the U.K. Government will attempt to agree the areas which will be on the agenda for the purposes of a Brexit deal. It is at that stage that Spain will attempt to exclude Gibraltar. If successful it will mean that while Gibraltar will continue to form part of the EU during the two years it might take the for the U.K. to negotiate a Brexit deal with the EU, we will know that we will have been excluded from it at the outset of the process. This could be as early as the Summer of next year.

"This is why it is so important to concentrate on what is important and possible, rather than red herrings such as the reverse Greenland model that never had any chance of success. Our focus has to be to work with the U.K. to ensure it stands firm and that we are not excluded from any deal she negotiates with the EU but at the same time to be prepared if we are excluded by putting forward workable fall back options."

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