‘Confidence’ and ‘delays’ at tripartite talks
by Panorama Political correspondent
The chief minister Peter Caruana (sic) is confident that the year 2006 will bring a package of measures agreed at the tripartite talks, but if nothing is agreed within the next 6 months, nothing will.
The Spanish pensions claim was the most complicated issue, Mr Caruana told Gibraltar radio today. Other issues include the possible joint use of the airport, improvement in frontier facilities, telecommunications.
Plans for a ministerial meeting to announce the deal were postponed weeks ago, thus not fulfilling one of the agreed points of an annual meeting being held at ministerial level. This is now expected early next year, but there has been no formal announcement by the trilateral forum. It is now hoped that the ministerial meeting will take place within the first quarter of the new year.
It is clear that difficulties remain, as became evident last October when, out of the blue, Mr Caruana said that “there has to be concessions to Spain.”
For his part, the leader of the opposition Joe Bossano has reiterated that any benefits for Spanish pensioners must also apply to Gibraltar pensioners. “Whatever they get, our people here must also get,” he said.
In opposition circles the point is being made that what was initially described as ‘dialogue’, with a difference being drawn between ‘dialogue’ and ‘negotiations’ by Mr Caruana himself, is now clearly one and the same thing, as made clear by the Spanish negotiator at the tripartite meetings, Sr José Pons, of the Spanish foreign ministry.
The opposition have long been urging that there should be greater progress with Britain on the constitutional talks, which seek to provide Gibraltar with a non-colonial relationship with the UK while retaining British sovereignty. But it would appear this would not go down well in Madrid, hence the delays.
From Panorama - Gibraltar’s Online Daily Newspaper
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