The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, is to have talks with his Spanish counterpart, Mr Abel Matutes, in Brussels later this month, and possibly at the Kosovo talks in Paris this weekend, in an attempt to resolve the deepening dispute between the two countries after escalation of a fishing row off the coast of Gibraltar.
Foreign Office officials said yesterday the bilateral talks, which will take place on the fringes of a European Union meeting of foreign ministers on February 21st, had been agreed after a telephone conversation between Mr Cook and Mr Abel on Thursday in which both sides expressed "concern" and "agreed to look forward to a solution."
That discussion will include the immediate border problems in Gibraltar as well as "fundamental disagreements" at the heart of the sovereignty dispute. But Foreign Office officials said that while sovereignty would be on the agenda the consent of the people of Gibraltar was paramount. Spain has proposed joint sovereignty for Gibraltar. Tensions between London and Madrid were raised last month after police in Gibraltar seized a Spanish fishing vessel for illegal fishing off the coast of Gibraltar. The Spanish Government, angered that the dispute was dealt with locally rather than between the two governments, responded by tightening border controls. It threatening to ban cars with Gibraltarian licence plates from travelling across the border into Spain and prevent flights to Gibraltar from crossing over Spanish airspace. The delays to traffic at Gibraltar-Spanish border were reported to be down from six to three hours yesterday.
In his telephone conversation with Mr Cook, Mr Matutes assured the Foreign Secretary that at this stage the threats were "possible proposals and won't be implemented." Mr Cook said last night that he had made it clear to the Spanish that such threats were "unacceptable." He added that "Britain and Spain have a very good relationship but it has to be based on a clear understanding that the interest of the people of Gibraltar and the consent of the people of Gibraltar are paramount."
With the prospect of the EU President, Mr Jacques Santer, being called in to intervene in the dispute - a proposal made by the British foreign minister, Ms Joyce Quin earlier this week - the Spanish Ambassador to Britain, Mr Alberto Aza, described the dispute as "ridiculous". Speaking on BBC R4 yesterday, Mr Aza said the only solution to the crisis was the end of Gibraltar's status as a British colony.
"The dispute is ridiculous - as ridiculous as the status of Gibraltar being a royal colony in the 20th or 21st century in Europe," Mr Aza said.
In Spain the centre-right newspaper, El Mundo, described Gibraltar as a "parasite" which was being used by Spaniards as a base to avoid paying taxes. The liberal El Pais newspaper said in its editorial yesterday that foreign ministers should seek a "third way" to resolve the dispute because the issue was no longer a question of winning over the Gibraltarians, "but of breaking their will".