§ Mr. Barry PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards Gibraltar.
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§ Mr. Garel-JonesThe treaty of Utrecht established British title to Gibraltar and it remains under British sovereignty. The same treaty also gave Spain the right of "first refusal" if Gibraltar ceased to be British. None of this is or has been in dispute between the United Kingdom and Spain.
Britain's commitment to the people of Gibraltar, enshrined in the 1969 constitution, is well known. This Government will not enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes. The 1969 constitution also sets out the division of powers between the elected Government of Gibraltar and the British Government. It bestows an appropriate level of self-government for domestic matters while preserving British sovereignty and reserving necessary powers to Britain. As regards Gibraltar airport, the British Government have frequently emphasised that development could not proceed against the wishes of the Gibraltar Government and people.
The British Government are fully committed to the negotiating process with Spain (the Brussels process) aimed at overcoming all the differences between the British and Spanish Governments over Gibraltar. It covers the question of sovereignty, as well as mutually beneficial co-operation. Spanish sovereignty over Gibraltar would be possible only if acceptable to the Gibraltarians. Under the treaty of Utrecht independence is not an option, unless Spain is prepared to agree.
The Government are actively seeking to improve relations between Gibraltar and Spain and, as a significant aspect of this, working for increasingly close local co-operation which will be beneficial for the whole region. This would be in full accordance with the spirit of the CSCE, and of developments in the European Community of which Gibraltar is part. Such co-operation can flourish only on the basis of mutual confidence. We hope that all parties will act in a way that builds trust and leads to progress.