Jun 17 - YGTV Interviews Fabian Picardo After Addressing UN Decolonisation Committee
YGTV’s reporter in New York spoke to the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo straight after his address to the United Nations Committee of 24 earlier this morning. We asked him about his hopes for Gibraltar’s future decolonisation and the Spanish contribution to the session.
YGTV: The chairman hinted that you were pessimistic about the role of the Committee – do you think he was right in saying this?
Fabian Picardo: I think it was obvious from what I was saying that Gibraltar has been addressing the committee for 50 years and had no response but I’m very happy to say that last year and now this year in the response from this chairman, we seem to finally be extracting a comment from the chairman although we’re not yet getting any of the progress that we want to see in terms of the committee exercising its powers like the visiting mission or seeking an advisory opinion. Am I pessimistic about their potential to move forwards? Well, look, naturally I am a glass half full person and I wouldn’t be here if I thought I was wasting my time. I’m here because there’s a saying that’s relevant to our proudest international sales pitch the monkey and that’s: “Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey.” I think that, if it takes a hundred years, we must never give up. We must always be here at the C24 to put forward our point of view. Having heard the Spanish speech today in particular, I wouldn’t ever like to see Gibraltar not represented in this committee as it was in the previous administration without a Gibraltarian government position being put forward.
YGTV: Yes, that is the opposing view – if there has been no progress then so much the worse for the Committee of 24…but you don’t share that view do you?
Fabian Picardo: Well, how would you feel if you took that view and you’d got it wrong and, because you didn’t turn up, one day there was some progress and it wasn’t the progress you wanted because the Committee of 24 had only been hearing the Spanish speech? Isn’t that too much of a gamble to take with something as precious as Gibraltar’s decolonisation and our international status?
YGTV: You focused, in your speech, on several key arguments using international law and jurisprudence. If Gibraltar’s legal case is watertight then it’s a question of Spain having the political good will to engage in dialogue and help progress on these matters. Is your lobbying campaign in the U.S connected to that?
Fabian Picardo: All our lobbying throughout the world is connected to ensuring that Gibraltar’s message is heard and that what we have been setting out to achieve for the past 50 years since Sir Joshua first addressed this Committee is achieved which is the delisting of Gibraltar. This would deprive Spain, who wants Gibraltar’s sovereignty, of the argument that Gibraltar is a colony and should be decolonised by being handed over to her. Our lobbying is also designed for the attendant commercial purpose of bringing new business and investment over to Gibraltar.
YGTV: What was your immediate reaction to the Spanish contribution?
Fabian Picardo: I wasn’t surprised – I hear and see in everything they say the same old tired arguments that represent an old epoch and that’s why I hope that the new epoch in Spain, with new political leaders slowly emerging and a new head of state, will lead to a different Spain that will one day come to its senses. Today has just been the same old approach with no thought given to the speech and a complete and utter defamation and libel of the Royal Gibraltar Police about the incident where it is alleged that they were involved in injuring a Guardia Civil officer which even the head of the Guardia Civil in Algeciras said was not true! To see Spain repeat that nonsense is very useful and very helpful in pitching the level of the Spanish speech for anyone who wants to make an objective assessment.
YGTV: So will you go away from this session with perhaps a bit more optimism? Have there been any encouraging remarks from other delegates and the chairman?
Fabian Picardo: There have been some very encouraging remarks from other delegates. For Gibraltar, in my view, every day, it just gets better.
