Jan 21 - Reduction in Incursions May Suggest Attitude Change from Spain – Says Foreign Office Minister
During a debate in the UK Parliament’s House of Lords yesterday afternoon, Conservative Minister baroness Warsi stated that Gibraltar has seen ‘a welcome reduction’ in incursions from Spanish vessels, since December 2013. The discussion saw questions on Gibraltar posed to the Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, by a selection of life peers with a vested interest in Gibraltar’s on-going dispute with Spain.
Lord Hoyle, a freeman of Gibraltar, questioned Baroness Warsi on the last time the UK Government met with London’s Spanish Ambassador and whether the European Union could step in and afford the UK and Gibraltar Government’s assistance in ‘requesting Spain to stop the incursion into British territorial Waters and to stop the unnecessary hold-ups at the frontier’? Baroness Warsi insisted that the Spanish Ambassador was last summoned in August 2013, but since then Prime Minister David Cameron has spoken to both the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and EU President Barroso.
The Baroness expressed the Government’s confidence that the waters surrounding Gibraltar, were ceded to the UK in the Treaty of Utrecht, despite Spain’s insistence that they were not. She added that the additional frontier checks, individuals have suffered through since early 2013, are considered ‘disproportionate and politically motivated’ by the UK.
Lord Anderson of Swansea went on to ask the Baroness to urge the Spanish Government to respond to the recommendations of European Commission regarding frontier checks. He added, ‘and should not the Spanish Government be told that these provocations will not help, because there is overwhelming support among all parties for listening to the Government and people of Gibraltar before there is any change in Gibraltar’s status?’
In response Baroness Warsi expressed the good news that the welcome reduction in illegal Spanish incursions may suggest a ‘slight change in attitude’. She went on to add, ‘we have been asking for the ad hoc talks to resume; we have reiterated to the Spanish Government the Foreign Secretary’s proposal of ad hoc talks, which he made in April 2012, involving all the relevant parties.’
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock presented Baroness Warsi with a question on whether the UK Government has spoken to Spain regarding the hypocrisy of their claim over Gibraltar, considering their two enclaves in Morocco, Ceuta and Melilla. The Baroness responded with, ‘these discussions are always about trying to resolve matters, not trying to make them worse. It would not be appropriate for me to go into the details of those discussions but, needless to say, we are robust in making the views of the people of Gibraltar known to the Government of Spain.’
