Spain won't seek to recover Gibraltar in Brexit talks: Minister
6 Aug 2017 5:07 PM GMT
Spain will not set as a condition in Brexit talks that it recovers Gibraltar, its foreign minister said today in an interview that could ease tensions over the disputed British territory.
Nestled on Spain's southern tip, Gibraltar has been under British control since 1713 but Madrid has long wanted it back. Authorities in the tiny rocky outcrop fear Spain will influence complex negotiations between the EU and Britain to leave the bloc to try and gain authority over Gibraltar.
But in an interview with Spain's conservative daily ABC, Alfonso Dastis said he didn't want to "jeopardise" the deal by demanding that Gibraltar change its status - a stance that Britain would likely
never accept". "I won't make an agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom conditional on recovering sovereignty over Gibraltar," he said. He added that Spain's proposal would see people in Gibraltar get the Spanish nationality on top of the British one.
Next Story
