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| Gibraltar History |
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Gibraltar is derived from Gibel Tariq – Tariq’s Mountain – which is named after Tariq Ibn Zeyad who led the eighth-century conquest of Spain by a combined force of Arabs and Berbers crossing from Africa. Gibraltar’s unusual status wasn’t obtained until almost 1000 years later, long after the Islamic invaders had been driven out by the Spanish, as a consequence of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht which brought to an end the War of the Spanish Succession and gave the territory to Britain. The British understanding of the treaty moreover, holds that the territory was ceded to them for ever. The presence of a foreign-owned mini-state on the Spanish mainland has been a nuisance to Anglo-Spanish relations ever since (though the UK points to the Spanish-controlled enclaves of Ceuta and Mellila on the Moroccan coast). The Spanish dictator, General Franco, launched a campaign in 1963 through the United Nations to regain Gibraltar, adding to the pressure by closing the border and severing telephone links.
Since the decease of Franco in 1975 and the return of democracy to Spain, relations between London and Madrid have improved greatly in every area – except Gibraltar. The existing Spanish position was first outlined by Felipe González, Spain’s Socialist premier during the 1980s, when he suggested joint Anglo-Spanish sovereignty. Consecutive Spanish governments, including the present Zapatero administration, have since refined the proposals, allowing for possible EU or NATO involvement. The British have no major objection, in principle, to the Spanish recovering full dominion over the territory – provided they are guaranteed continued access to its military base facilities. The trouble is that the Gibraltarians are having none of it: no handover; no joint sovereignty; no Spanish involvement whatsoever. In response to the latest round of talks between London and Madrid which began in 2001 and explored in detail probable joint sovereignty models, the Gibraltar government led by Peter Caruana organised a referendum in November 2002 to assess the popular mood. As anticipated, it returned a huge majority in favour of the status quo. Whatever its preferred option, it is politically not possible for any British government to cede the territory to Spain against the clear wishes of the inhabitants.
Domestic political affairs in Gibraltar are dominated by two main blocs, the ruling centre-right Social Democrats and the opposition alliance of the Socialist Labour Partyand the Liberal Party. The Social Democrats formed the present government after their triumph under the leadership of Peter Caruana, who was re-elected as Prime Minister for a third term at the most recent poll in 2003. On the issue of sovereignty, there are some dissimilarity in emphasis, but no essential difference between the basic positions of any of the three parties.
Following the 2002 referendum, whose legitimacy was rejected by both the British and Spanish governments, talks among the two staggered on for another six months. Finally, in June 2003, the British put the process on ice, telling the Spanish that without a fundamental change in the approach of the Gibraltarians, the status quo would remain. It is hard to see any prospect of transformation in the near future: should it come to pass, a major change in economic conditions (see Economy) is the most likely source.
Talks have taken place in 2005 between the UK and Gibraltar government to discuss revisions to the constitution. The substance of these talks will remain off the record however until discussions are complete
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