§ 15. Sir William van Straubenzeeasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had on 17 March with the Spanish Foreign Secretary concerning the sovereignty of Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PymThe Spanish Foreign Minister and I held discussions covering a wide range of international issues during his visit to London on 16–17 March. In discussing Gibraltar, I explained to Sr. Moran that there were no obstacles on our side to the early implementation of the 1980 Lisbon agreement which envisages the lifting of restrictions on Gibraltar and the start of negotiations "aimed at overcoming all the differences" between Britain and Spain on Gibraltar. No dates were fixed for implementation of the agreement, but we agreed to remain closely in touch.