Spain has proposed sharing sovereignty with Britain over disputed Gibraltar in an apparent softening of its long-standing demand for sole rule. Spain will present the new compromise idea to the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, in London today, a Spanish Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. Madrid has long insisted that British rule of the tiny colony on Spain's southernmost tip is illegal and has claimed sole sovereignty over the territory which it ceded to Britain in the 18th century.
A British embassy spokesman said London would not rule out any proposal immediately.
But Gibraltarians have traditionally dismissed any attempts by Spain to lay claim to the territory.
"Gibraltar's position is that shared sovereignty is unacceptable," a Gibraltar government spokesman said. "We believe Gibraltar is British and always has been."
Spain's proposal is the second attempt it has made in as many months to resolve the thorny issue of rule over Gibraltar, a long-standing bone of contention with Britain.
In October, Spain offered to ease its restrictions on air and sea access to Gibraltar in exchange for shared military use of the colony's airport, which Britain controls. The offer was rejected.
Britain almost blocked the approval of a new NATO structure last week because Spain had refused its demands to lift the restrictions. But in what was seen as a concession to Spain, Britain dropped its objections at the last moment and the NATO structure was approved.
The restrictions, which complicate movement between Gibraltar and the Spanish mainland, remain in force. Aircraft cannot fly directly from Gibraltar to Spain and ships must make long detours around Spanish waters to reach Gibraltar's docks.
Spain handed over Gibraltar to Britain under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht after an Anglo-Dutch force captured it in 1704 in the War of the Spanish Succession.