Spanish reshuffle halts Gibraltar talks
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Your support makes all the difference.Talks between Britain and Spain on Gibraltar scheduled for tomorrow were postponed last night amid a deepening diplomatic crisis over the colony's future. The Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, signalled his intense anger at backpedalling by Britain on an earlier understanding that Gibraltarians could not veto any agreement between London and Madrid.
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, had been due to meet his Spanish counterpart, Josep Pique, in Madrid in a final effort to achieve a breakthrough. But Mr Pique lost his job in a cabinet reshuffle this week and was replaced by Ana Palacio, who is not known to have expressed a view on the decades-old dispute.
London and Madrid had pledged to reach an agreement on Gibraltar by the summer, but fears are growing in both capitals that it will have to be shelved until the autumn.
The Foreign Secretary had hoped to have substantial progress to report to MPs before the parliamentary recess begins on 24 July. But that looks increasingly unlikely as Ms Palacio reads herself into her new job.
The Independent has learnt that Britain's firm commitment to put a deal to a referendum of Gibraltar's 30,000 residents has emerged as the biggest sticking-point in negotiations. The Government has promised that Britain will be bound by the outcome of the vote, but Spain wants any agreement to remain on the table even if it is rejected by Gibraltarians. Spain is resisting Britain's demand to retain control of military bases. It is also refusing to drop its constitutional claim on Gibraltar whatever the outcome of the talks.
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