Spain’s new government is pushing Britain to negotiate over Gibraltar without consideration for the wishes of the inhabitants of Gibraltar. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo wrote to his British counterpart to this effect after British Prime Minister David Cameron promised last week to respect Gibraltar’s right to self-determination. The majority in Gibraltar wants to remain British, but Spain does not recognize this right.
The Times reports that new Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will demand that Gibraltar not be a part of negotiations over its future. This, wrote the Times, “marks a hardening of Madrid’s position over its controversial claim for the return of the Rock.”
