§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the strategic importance of Gibraltar to the United Kingdom's defence interests and that of NATO. [37465]
§ Mr. SoamesGibraltar commands the important sea lane of communication between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Notwithstanding the end of the cold war, its strategic significance has not diminished. Gibraltar has well equipped and organised command facilities which support a NATO HQ—COMGIBMED.