HOW ABOUT JOINT SOVEREIGNTY WITH MOROCCO

The reported statements of King Juan Carlos of Spain in the 1980s that his country did not really want Gibraltar back because it would add pressure on handing over Ceuta and Melilla to Morocco has the right in our neighbouring country on the run.

The last thing Rajoy and those of the Gibraltar Español clique want is any linkage between their claim over sovereignty of the Rock and Morocco’s demand for Ceuta, Melilla plus the numerous islands such as Perejil to be handed over to Rabat.

So it is not surprising that Europa Sur should carry an article on Saturday dismissing any similarity between Gibraltar and the North African enclaves. Penned by Quino López it may also have appeared in other newspapers belonging to the Joly stable.

The key part of López’s article is: “La recurrente comparación no tiene fundamentos jurídicos ni históricos El Peñón fue español hasta 1704, mientras que las ciudades autonómas jamas pertenecieron a Marruecos.”

It is true that Ceuta and Melilla were never part of the Moroccan State but neither are they an integral part of Spain, they are not even in the same continent. However to say “El Peñón fue español hasta 1704” is also very misleading to say the least.

Now I am no historian so if you are and I have any facts here wrong then feel free to shout. As far as I understand it until 711, when the Moors took over Gibraltar, it had passed through many hands, Greeks, Romans and Visigoths. Hence up to that point in time it was no more part of Spain than the enclaves were part of Morocco.

The Moors held Gibraltar till 1462. However Spain seemed rather unenthusiastic about making it part of its realm and it floated around various owners till 1501 when it reverted to the Spanish Crown.

So pre 711 Gibraltar was not Spanish. Between 711 and 1462 it was held by the Moors who came across the sea from what now is Morocco, so they held if for 751 years. It was only truly Spanish between 1501 and 1704 and in 1713 Spain signed it away “in perpetuity”. Hence Gibraltar was Spanish for either 203 or 212 years. Since 1704 it has been British so this year it has been non-Spanish again for 310 years.

So let us look at that again. Pre 711 various rulers, 751 years in the hands of the Moors, 203 or 212 ruled by Spain and 310 years British and now Gibraltarian too. Now I am no more a mathematician than I am a historian but if anybody has an historic claim to Gibraltar it is the Moors and if they don’t then the Brits and Gibraltarians certainly do. In last place comes Spain.

Now because I am mischievous and given our good relations with our neighbour across the Strait, many of whose citizens happily reside here, I would say yes let’s go for joint sovereignty – with Morocco. With Britain and Morocco on our side what chance then of Rajoy and Margallo trying to destroy Gibraltar the nation?

Can you imagine the anger and consternation in Madrid if the people of Gibraltar decided to embrace Morocco to partner Britain in guaranteeing the Rock’s future and its security?

It will never happen of course but it doesn’t stop me enjoying the thought of Spain’s response. Meanwhile the Gibraltar Español clique will continue to argue its flimsy case in the hope the world will be fooled and that it will gain Gibraltar and hold on to Ceuta and Melilla.

Dream on, dream on! The way things are going its not winning territory that should be occupying Rajoy’s mind but rather holding on to what he has got. The stampede to leave his State by the Catalans and indeed the Basques is getting underway in earnest. I shall come to that tomorrow.

CARUANA BACK ON THE JOINT SOVEREIGNTY HOOK

A week ago I reported in Panorama that the leading Labour politician, Jack Straw, had published his autobiography – Last Man Standing. I went on to say he had held two of the great departments of State, the Home and Foreign Office under Tony Blair. Yet for Gibraltarians his name will for ever be linked with the debacle over joint sovereignty with Spain in 2002.

The odd thing about his autobiography is there are just two references to Gibraltar. The first relates to discussions on a Freedom of Information Act and mentions briefly the shooting of the IRA suspects. The second is a subheading to the chapter on his becoming Foreign Secretary entitled “Life in the Air”. This is followed by the quotation: “Zimbabwe, and Gibraltar – My answer to a close friend who’d asked in July 2002 what were the biggest issues facing me as the new Foreign Secretary.”

The big international issues of the day such as Iraq and Pakistan feature but although Straw claims Gibraltar was one of “the biggest issues facing me” not another word.

I am at the Labour Party Conference this week and of course Jack Straw is in attendance. I asked his office could we meet? “Oh no” they said, “he’s far too busy promoting his book”.

So I contacted his publishers who said there was a book signing - meet Jack Straw event on Tuesday night but other than that, nothing. So he wasn’t far too busy promoting his book.

Nor was Mr Straw keeping a low profile although his labelling of the former almost sainted leader of the Labour Party, John Smith, as an alcoholic who was not fit to be prime minister probably didn’t endear him to many party activists from that era.

So I took the opportunity to introduce myself to Mr Straw, who seemed to recognise my name, and was only too happy to talk. I asked him about the “Zimbabwe –Gibraltar” quote and if that was true why hadn’t he mentioned Gibraltar in the chapter.

His answer was he had written a chapter on Gibraltar but it wasn’t the Foreign Office who asked him to take it out but the publisher. He said the book was overlong so something had to go and it was the Rock.

Fair enough if true! However a chapter on Gibraltar would certainly have boosted the sales and to be honest the book is not exactly lengthy. The other oddity is that the heading to his Foreign Secretary chapter is the one that belongs to the Gibraltar chapter. So maybe Pan Macmillan, his publishers, not only has a paper shortage but also are lacking in competent editors.

So why isn’t Caruana not off the hook yet on the joint sovereignty issue? Well it seems Jack Straw is now keen to tell the tale of what happened over the joint sovereignty debacle in 2002 and is considering not just a chapter but a book exclusively on that subject.

The Hain book in January of this year, which was also being heavily promoted at the conference, revealed enough to suggest Caruana had intended to back the joint sovereignty deal and had misled the Europe Minister. However the fact is Hain is not a popular figure in the Labour Party let alone outside of it. Jack Straw on the other hand is a big beast of British politics and if he points the finger at Caruana then the accusations will stick. Of course the former chief minister might challenge Mr Straw in court. The only problem is that like Caruana Jack Straw is a lawyer too. Not only that he was Lord Chancellor. “Game on” is I think the modern phrase.

SO WHO IS LYING MR CARUANA?

It was two days before the Gibraltar General Election that I broke the story in Panorama that the UK’s former Europe Minister Peter Hain was going to tell all about the joint sovereignty debacle with Peter Caruana that occurred over 2001 and 2002. His book ‘Outside In’ had been embargoed by the Foreign office because it was felt the revelations that are now out in the open could affect the result of our election.

On the day that Panorama published the story I was named in a Government press release as a GSLP activist who had penned an article of lies. This is not the first time I had crossed swords with Peter Caruana on this issue.

In Panorama on June 22 of last year I penned an article: “Whispers of deals done or deals in the offing”. In it I wrote referring to 2001 and 2002: “I am equally sure that I was not the only journalist to receive phone calls or messages from UK sources suggesting the chief minister had led London and Madrid to believe he could deliver a joint sovereignty deal...and then gone back on his word. Mischief or the truth? I have no idea. However as far as I am aware Caruana has never explained to the people of Gibraltar his apparent conversion on the road to Madrid.”

During his closing budget speech in July the chief minister chose to name me in the House and to quote, incorrectly, from what I had written. He told Parliament that I had accused the then GSD government of being prepared to do a deal on joint sovereignty. Of course I had written no such thing and the GSD did not even feature in my article: only he did.

On December 6 I wrote: “In September 2004 the Gibraltar Chronicle reported on Fabian Picardo attending the Labour Party Conference in Brighton. There he had a meeting with Peter Hain and they naturally discussed the Joint Sovereignty process of 2001 – 2002. Fabian Picardo questioned Hain: “Let me ask you this, what was the attitude of the Chief Minister when he welcomed you to Gibraltar in September 2001 and welcomed the re-launch of the Brussels Process?”

“Peter Hain replied: “He led us to believe he would be a willing partner in the talks – and then he pulled back.”

That is what it is believed Hain’s book will now confirm. As it so happened I was close at hand when Picardo met Hain at this year’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool and the former Europe Minister repeated the same claim.”

Well despite all the previous denials from the former Europe Minister, the Foreign Office and Caruana that is what Hain is now claiming and both he and the former chief minister can battle it out over who is telling the truth.

On Thursday 10 November I was party to a telephone conversation with the Foreign Office in London. The message back was that Hain couldn’t speak on the matters relating to 2001 and 2002 because they were to be published in his book ‘Outside In’ and for now it was the subject of a Foreign Office and Cabinet Office embargo.

The message went on: “If the GSLP win the general election then the people of Gibraltar will be very happy. If Caruana stays in power then they will be very angry indeed.” On the basis of that conversation I went to London and had conversations with Labour HQ and leading Labour politicians through whom I was able to ascertain that the embargo did exist and the basis of what Hain would say. You read that here on December 6.

What is quite clear is that Fabian Picardo was not lying over the conversation he had with Peter Hain at the Labour Party Conference at Brighton in 2004. Nor was Fabian Picardo lying over his encounter with Peter Hain at last year’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool at which I was present. Nor was I lying in my articles here on June 22 or December 6. So who is lying Mr Caruana?

(Fabian Picardo meets Peter Hain at 2011 Labour Party Conference).