The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said today that the statements of British Secretary of State for Europe, David Lidington, the rejection of his government to negotiate with Spain the sovereignty of Gibraltar “absolutely contrary to the Declaration Brussels in 1984 and the Treaty of Utrecht. ”

García-Margallo said he will talk to the British minister in principle only planned to meet with the Secretaries of State of the EU and Foreign Affairs.

The Spanish minister will seek to clarify the issue after the words of this morning of David Lidington who, as mentioned, has reaffirmed his government’s refusal to negotiate with Spain the sovereignty of Gibraltar , or changing the status of the colony except with the prior consent of the inhabitants of the Rock.

Lidington has closed the door to dialogue with Spain over Gibraltar in a breakfast briefing held in a Madrid hotel on his working visit to Madrid. ”We will not participate in any negotiation process unless it is done with the approval of the Government of Gibraltar” has settled.

Secretary of State for European Affairs has claimed the right of the people of the colony to decide their future, as did the British Prime Minister David Cameron last week.

Therefore, an agreement has been considered impractical for UK and Spain sharing sovereignty of the Rock, as he was about to agree in 2002 to Executive Jose Maria Aznar. ”We will not agree to change the status of Gibraltar unless it is freely expressed desire by the people of Gibraltar,” he insisted.

Ten years interrupted

Resume negotiations on the colony, interrupted ten years ago, is one of the goals it has set the new Foreign Minister, José Manuel García-Margallo , in its policy on Gibraltar.

Also in favor of replacing the Tripartite Dialogue Forum established by the PSOE in 2004 in another frame of cooperation involving representatives of Gibraltar.

Lidington pointed out that the position of the United Kingdom “has not changed” with Cameron and is the same as the previous Labour government defended. ”The British Government has a clear position”, stressed Secretary of State, who, however, has said it will continue listening to the ideas and suggestions from the Spanish Government.

The debate on the question of Gibraltar García-Margallo reopened a few days ago stating that “the joke of Gibraltar was over” , referring to the need to reach an agreement after three centuries of dispute.