Spain has a long-standing claim on Gibraltar, which was ceded to the British crown in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht (AFP Photo/JORGE GUERRERO) |
Brussels (AFP) - Spain warned Monday it could yet derail the Brexit deal agreed between London and Brussels if it does not guarantee Madrid's veto over Gibraltar's future status.
Madrid has
a long-standing claim on Gibraltar, which was ceded to the British crown in the
1713 Treaty of Utrecht.
Britain's
Prime Minister Theresa May is due to sign a treaty with European Union leaders
to leave the bloc on Sunday, if Spain does not stand in the way.
But Spain's
Foreign Minister Josep Borrell warned on Monday after a meeting of EU ministers
that the draft deal does not spell out how Gibraltar should be handled.
He said the
text does not make it clear that future negotiations on ties between Brussels
and post-Brexit Britain are separate from the Gibraltar issue.
"Future
negotiations on Gibraltar are separate negotiations. And that is what needs to
be made clear," Borrell said.
"Until
it is clear ... we will not be able to give our agreement", he warned.
According
to Article 184 of the draft divorce deal, "the EU and the United Kingdom
shall make every effort, in good faith and with full respect for their
respective legal systems, to adopt the measures necessary to negotiate rapidly
the agreements governing their future relationship."
These
agreements will be negotiated between Brexit day on March 29 and December 2020
-- extendable once -- and will enter into force at the end of the period.
But Spain
wants to retain what it sees as its right to negotiate the future on Gibraltar
with Britain on a bilateral basis, giving it an effective veto.
Although
the legal service of the EU Council has tried to reassure Spain that the text
does not preclude this, Madrid is seeking further clarification.
"Until
we have the future declaration and we know what it says, whether we agree or
not, we are not going to approve the withdrawal agreement either," Borrell
said.
In London,
May's spokesman said: "The draft withdrawal agreement agreed last week
covers Gibraltar.
"The
PM has been clear that we will not exclude Gibraltar, and the other overseas
territories and the crown dependences from our negotiations on the future
relationship. We will get a deal that works for the whole UK family."
Gibraltar
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said the position adopted by Madrid "does
little to build mutual confidence and trust going forward."
Over the
weekend, European diplomats said they did not expect Spain's concerns to derail
the agreement.
#UPDATE "I have just announced to the King of Spain that we have an agreement on Gibraltar," Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez says in a televised address. "Spain... will vote in favour of Brexit." pic.twitter.com/hJ64BhsdiZ— AFP news agency (@AFP) November 24, 2018
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