Never too late for Spain to begin to woo the Gibraltarians

From Mr William Chislett.

Sir, A year ago this week the
Spanish government imposed
stringent controls at the border with
Gibraltar, the territory ceded to
Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht
of 1713. The checks, ostensibly a
crackdown on tobacco smuggling
(cigarettes are much cheaper in
Gibraltar), came after the Rocks
government dumped 70 concrete
blocks in disputed waters in order to
create an artificial reef and
regenerate fish stocks.
The controls are still in force and
produce, at times, long and arbitrary
queues of cars and pedestrians.
Coupled with the governments
closing down of the Trilateral Forum
of Dialogue, established in 2004, in
which the UK, Spain and Gibraltar
agreed to discuss all matters of
mutual interest except for
sovereignty, the controls have done
nothing to further Madrids claim to
the territory. The more aggressive
policy has created an absolute
absence of dialogue and a siege
mentality among Gibraltarians
reminiscent of that when the Franco
regime closed the border in 1969
(reopened in 1982).
Fabian Picardo, Gibraltars chief
minister, was in Madrid this month
and met with all of Spains political
parties with the notable exception of
the ruling Popular party, which gave
him a wide berth.
The PP could do with following the
advice given by the Duke of
Edinburgh to former King Juan
Carlos in 1977. According to a
declassified US Department of State
document, the Duke told Juan Carlos
that when one wished to gain the
hand of an attractive lady, one
should woo her with flowers and
the like. And if Spain wished to have
the situation in Gibraltar evolve
more to its liking, it should begin to
woo the Gibraltarians. It is never
too late.
William Chislett,
Madrid, Spain