British prime minister Theresa May has soothed diplomatic tempers by affirming that her country has no intention of fighting with Spain over the territory of Gibraltar, just days after politicians in London hinted at the prospect of outright war.
Quoting Winston Churchill, Mrs May said it was “better to jaw-jaw than war-war.” Her office also confimed she had spoken to Fabien Picard, chief minister of Gibraltar, to assure him that the territory’s status is not up for renegotiation.
The row between Britain and Spain over the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar, a British territory attached to mainland Spain, offers a glimpse of the potentially turbulent negotiations facing Britain now it has begun its formal separation from the European Union.
“I would say on Gibraltar, you see now how difficult the divorce is,” said Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders, speaking before a meeting of the EU foreign affairs council.
Gibraltar – commonly called simply “The Rock” – is a tiny, rocky enclave, hanging off Spain’s southern coast at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea and is home to 32,000 people. It has been administered by the UK ever since 1704, and a treaty in 1713 ceded Gibraltar to the UK “in perpetuity.”
Since Gibraltar is part of mainland Europe, the European Union has demanded, as a part of its Brexit negotiating strategy, that Spain be granted a special veto power concerning the territory.
The EU’s draft of its position for talks, released on Friday and due to be approved by member states on April 29, states: “After the United Kingdom leaves the Union, no agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom may apply to the territory of Gibraltar without agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom.”
Spain, which has persistently claimed sovereignty over Gibraltar, says the EU’s clause is reasonable. “It’s what we wanted and what we have said from the beginning,” said a Spanish government spokesperson.
But in London, the response was angry. Michael Fallon, the UK’s defence secretary, said on Monday that his country was prepared to go “all the way” to retain Gibraltar.
Michael Howard, a former Tory leader and now a member of the House of Lords, said that the tussle over Gibraltar evoked the UK’s war with Argentina in the South Atlantic over the Falkland Islands in 1982.
In Gibraltar itself, attitudes are mixed. In a 2002 referendum, 99 per cent of the populace voted against the idea of Britain and Spain sharing sovereignty over the territory. But in the Brexit referendum last year, 96 per cent of people living in Gibraltar voted to remain with the EU, and its parliament has indicated that it would like to negotiate “a special status” with the EU after the UK leaves.
SSubramanian@thenational.ae
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Company%20Profile
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RACE CARD
6.30pm: Baniyas Group 2 (PA) Dh 97,500 (Dirt) 1,400m.
7.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,400m
8.50pm Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh 85,000 (D) 2,000m
Company%C2%A0profile
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Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley