Finian McGrath
Ceist:329 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will give the Irish and EU positions on the Gibraltar issue; and if he will support the Spanish position as a matter of priority. [21357/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 29 September 2004
Ceisteanna (147, 148)
Finian McGrath
Ceist:332 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether Britain’s occupation of Gibraltar is illegal; and if he will support the Spanish position at EU and UN level. [21365/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions No. 329 and 332 together.
Spain and the United Kingdom are partners as member states of the European Union. The British and Spanish Governments are agreed that the question of Gibraltar should be resolved through dialogue. The Government fully support this approach to issues such as Gibraltar which involve differences between friendly states on matters relating to territory, people and sovereignty.
In 1984, the British and Spanish Governments launched a dialogue on the future of Gibraltar known as the Brussels Process. Talks were aimed at overcoming differences between them over Gibraltar and at promoting co-operation on economic, cultural, tourism, aviation, military and environmental matters. It was agreed that issues of sovereignty would be discussed under the process. The most recent meetings at foreign minister level under the Brussels Process were held in Barcelona in November 2001 and in London in February 2002. A referendum which was organised in Gibraltar in November 2002, without the participation of the UK or Spain, rejected the principle of joint sovereignty, although no such proposal had been agreed under the process. No meetings have been held under the Brussels Process since then, but there have been regular meetings between representatives of the two governments, at which the full range of bilateral issues have been discussed.
The question of Gibraltar is considered annually by the UN General Assembly. Most recently, on 9 December 2003, the General Assembly adopted a decision by consensus recalling the agreement to inaugurate the Brussels Process and urging both Governments to continue their negotiations with the object of reaching a definitive solution to the problem of Gibraltar in the light of relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and in the spirit of the charter of the United Nations.
The Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, stated in a newspaper interview earlier this month that the time had come to resume the dialogue and to return to seeking a mechanism to focus on future negotiations on Gibraltar. The Government supports all efforts by the British and Spanish Governments to overcome their differences on the issue.