Timeline of the history of Gibraltar

Part of a series on the
History of Gibraltar
Timeline
Gibraltar portal

The history of Gibraltar portrays how The Rock gained an importance and a reputation far exceeding its size, influencing and shaping the people who came to reside here over the centuries.[1]

Prehistoric

The Gibraltar 1 skull, discovered in 1848 in Forbes' Quarry, was only the second Neanderthal skull and the first adult Neanderthal skull ever found

Evidence of hominid inhabitation of the Rock dates back to the Neanderthals. A Neanderthal skull was discovered in Forbes' Quarry in 1848, prior to the "original" discovery in the Neander Valley. In 1926, the skull of a Neanderthal child was found in Devil's Tower.

Mousterian deposits found at Gorham's Cave, which are associated with Neanderthals in Europe, have been dated to as recently as 28,000 to 24,000 BP,[2] leading to suggestions that Gibraltar was one of the last places of Neanderthal habitation. Modern humans apparently visited the Gibraltar area in prehistoric times after the Neanderthal occupancy.[3]

While the rest of Europe was cooling, the area around Gibraltar back then resembled a European Serengeti. Leopards, hyenas, lynxes, wolves and bears lived among wild cattle, horses, deer, ibexes, oryxes and rhinos – all surrounded by olive trees and stone pines, with partridges and ducks overhead, tortoises in the underbrush and mussels, limpets and other shellfish in the waters. Clive Finlayson, evolutionary biologist at the Gibraltar Museum said "this natural richness of wildlife and plants in the nearby sandy plains, woodlands, shrublands, wetlands, cliffs and coastline probably helped the Neanderthals to persist." Evidence at the cave shows the Neanderthals of Gibraltar likely used it as a shelter "for 100,000 years." Cro-Magnon man took over Gibraltar around 24,000 BCE.[4]

Ancient

Portion of a Roman map showing the Pillars of Hercules (traditionally but erroneously) as an island, with the coasts of Spain and Africa above and below
The Pillars of Hercules depicted erroneously as an island on the Tabula Peutingeriana, an ancient Roman map

The Phoenicians are known to have visited the Rock circa 950 BC and named the Rock "Calpe". The Carthaginians also visited. However, neither group appears to have settled permanently. Plato refers to Gibraltar as one of the Pillars of Hercules along with Jebel Musa or Monte Hacho on the other side of the Strait.

The Romans visited Gibraltar, but no permanent settlement was established. Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Gibraltar was occupied by the Vandals and later the Goths kingdoms. The Vandals did not remain for long although the Visigoths remained on the Iberian peninsula from 414 to 711. The Gibraltar area and the rest of the South Iberian Peninsula was part of the Byzantine Empire during the second part of the 6th century, later reverting to the Visigoth Kingdom.

Muslim rule

This fact marked the establishment of the Gibraltar council.
King Alfonso XI of Castile attempted to retake Gibraltar aided by the fleet of the Castilian Admiral Alonso Jofre Tenorio. Even a ditch was dug across the isthmus. While laying the siege, the king was attacked by a Nasrid army from Granada. Therefore, the siege ended in a truce, allowing the Marinids to keep Gibraltar (Fourth Siege of Gibraltar).

Castilian/Spanish rule

The arms granted to the city of Gibraltar by a Royal Warrant passed in Toledo on 10 July 1502 by Isabella I of Castile
The Battle of Gibraltar, by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom. Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

The War of the Spanish Succession

The Gibraltar capture

(There is a common discrepancy in the chronology between Spanish and British sources, the reason being that England still used the Julian calendar. By 1704 the Julian calendar was eleven days behind the Gregorian, and the siege thus began on 21 July according to the Julian.)

George Rooke, the commander of the Anglo-Dutch fleet that conquered Gibraltar on behalf of the Archduke Charles
The exact beginning of the English/British control of Gibraltar is hard to determine. From the eighteenth century, Spanish sources reported that immediately after the takeover of the city, Sir George Rooke, the British admiral,[10][11][12] on his own initiative caused the British flag to be hoisted, and took possession of the Rock in name of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, whose government ratified the occupation. On the other hand, even the British or the Gibraltarians sometimes date the beginning of British sovereignty in 1704 (for instance, in its speech at the United Nations in 1994, the Gibraltar Chief Minister at the time, Joe Bossano, stated that Gibraltar has been a British colony ever since it was taken by Britain in 1704[13]). Also, some British sources have accounted the flag story (He [Rooke] had the Spanish flag hauled down and the English flag hoisted in its stead;[14] Rooke's men quickly raised the British flag ... and Rooke claimed the Rock in the name of Queen Anne;[7] or Sir George Rooke, the British admiral, on his own responsibility caused the British flag to be hoisted, and took possession in name of Queen Anne, whose government ratified the occupation[15]).
Gibraltar antique engraving by Gabriel Bodenehr, c.1704. From his rare "Curioses Staats- und Kriegs-Theatrum".
However, it is claimed by present-day historians, both Spanish and British, that this version is apocryphal since no contemporary source accounts it. Isidro Sepúlveda,[16] William Jackson[17] and George Hills[18] explicitly refute it (Sepúlveda points out that if such a fact had actually happened, it would have caused a big crisis in the Alliance supporting the Archduke Charles; George Hills explains that the story was first accounted by the Marquis of San Felipe, who wrote his book "Comentarios de la guerra de España e historia de su rey Phelipe V el animoso" in 1725, more than twenty years after the fact; the marquis was not an eye-witness and cannot be considered as a reliable source for the facts that took place in Gibraltar in 1704. As Hills concludes: "The flag myth ... may perhaps be allowed now to disappear from Anglo-Spanish polemics. On the one side it has been used to support a claim to the Rock 'by right of conquest'; on the other to ... pour on Britain obloquy for perfidy"[18]).
What does seem nowadays proved is that the British troops who had landed on the South Mole area raised their flag to signal their presence to the ships, and avoid being fired upon by their own side.
However, whatever the exact events of the time, Gibraltar ceased being under the rule of Philip V of Spain in 1704. A statue to Sir George Rooke was erected in 2004 as part of the tercentenery celebrations.

The first Spanish siege (Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar)

During the rest of the war

Although nominally in the hands of the Archduke Charles, and garrisoned with both English and Dutch regiments, Britain began to monopolize the rule of the town. Even if the formal transfer of sovereignty would not take place until the signature of the Treaty of Utrecht, the British Governor and garrison become the de facto rulers of the town.

British rule

Treaty of Utrecht

Allegory of the Peace of 1714
In that treaty, Spain ceded Great Britain "the full and entire propriety of the town and castle of Gibraltar, together with the port, fortifications, and forts thereunto belonging ... for ever, without any exception or impediment whatsoever."
The Treaty stipulated that no overland trade between Gibraltar and Spain was to take place, except for emergency provisions in the case that Gibraltar is unable to be supplied by sea. Another condition of the cession was that "no leave shall be given under any pretence whatsoever, either to Jews or Moors, to reside or have their dwellings in the said town of Gibraltar." This was not respected for long and Gibraltar has had for many years an established Jewish community, along with Muslims from North Africa.
Finally, under the Treaty, should the British crown wish to dispose of Gibraltar, that of Spain should be offered the territory first.

Until the Peninsular Wars

Topographic map of Gibraltar and the Bay of Gibraltar, circa 1750

Between 1713 and 1728, there were seven occasions when British ministers was prepared to bargain Gibraltar away as part of his foreign policy. However, the Parliament frustrated always such attempts, echoing the public opinion in Britain.[33]

In 1782, work on the Great Siege Tunnels started. The tunnels became a great and complex system of underground fortifications which nowadays criss-crosses the inside of the Rock. Once the Siege was over, the fortifications were rebuilt and, in the following century, the walls were lined with Portland limestone. Such stone gave the walls their present white appearance.
The successful resistance in the Great Siege is attributed to several factors: the improvement in fortifications by Colonel (later General Sir) William Green in 1769; the British naval supremacy, which translated into support of the Navy; the competent command by General George Augustus Elliot; and an appropriately sized garrison.[36] As in the early years of the British period, during the Siege the British Government considered to exchange Gibraltar for some Spanish possession. However, by the end of the Siege the fortress and its heroic response to the siege was now acquiring a sort of cult status amongst the population in Britain and no exchange however attractive, was likely to be acceptable.[37]
( According to George Hills,[41] there are no primary sources that could explain whether such a demolition was requested or authorized by any Spanish or British authority. According to him, over time, three different theories have emerged: (a) Campbell ordered the demolition on his own authority (b) under instructions from the British Government (c) upon request of Spanish General Castaños, who was at the time in Cádiz. Spanish authors from 1840 have usually favoured theory (b) while British ones have supported (c). As long as there is no contemporary source or dispatch on the topic, Hills does not personally discard (a) considering it the most likely possibility).

Until the Second World War

Characters of Gibraltar (R.P. Napper, 1863; private collection)
Legal institutions and the Gibraltar Police Force were established.

Second World War and after

Military history of Gibraltar during World War II
Timeline of events
A Catalina flies by the North Front of the Rock
as it leaves Gibraltar on a patrol, 1942 (Imperial War Museum)
Late 1939 Construction of a solid surface runway begins in Gibraltar.
9 September 1939 No. 202 Squadron RAF is ordered to Gibraltar.
25 September 1939 No 200 (Coastal) Group is formed as a subordinate
formation to HQ RAF Mediterranean.
June 1940 13,500 civilian evacuees are shipped to Casablanca
in French Morocco.
13 July 1940 Following the creation of Vichy France,
Gibraltarian civilians are returned to Gibraltar
prior to movement to other locations.
July 1940 Evacuees are shipped to the Atlantic island
of Madeira and to London.
9 October 1940 1,093 refugees re-evacuated to Jamaica.
10 March 1941 Operation Felix, the German plan for the invasion
of Gibraltar, is amended to become Operation Felix-Heinrich,
which delays the invasion until after the fall of the
Soviet Union, effectively putting an end to
German invasion plans.
Late 1941 Plans for Operation Tracer, a stay-behind plan to be put in place
in the event of an invasion of Gibraltar, are formulated.
January 1942 Equipment trials for Operation Tracer begin.
Mid-1942 Operation Tracer is pronounced ready for deployment.
July 1942 Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower is appointed
Allied Commander-in-Chief of Operation Torch.
5 November 1942 Eisenhower arrives in Gibraltar to take command
4 July 1942 A Liberator bomber from RAF Transport Command
takes off from Gibraltar and crashes, killing
Władysław Sikorski, Polish military and political leader
November 1943 Resettlement Board established.
6 April 1944 First group of 1,367 repatriates arrives on
Gibraltar directly from the United Kingdom.
28 May 1944 First repatriation party leaves Madeira for Gibraltar.
8 May 1945 Victory in Europe Day
The closed Spanish gate at the border between Gibraltar and Spain, 1977

The history of Gibraltar from the Second World War is characterized by two main elements: the increasing autonomy and self-government achieved by Gibraltarians and the re-emergence of the Spanish claim, especially during the years of the Francoist dictatorship.

During World War II (1939–1945) the Rock was again turned into a fortress and the civilian residents of Gibraltar were evacuated. Initially, in May 1940, 16,700 people went to French Morocco. However, after the French-German Armistice and the subsequent destruction of the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria by the British Navy in July 1940, the French-Moroccan authorities asked all Gibraltarian evacuees to be removed. 12,000 went to Britain, while about 3,000 went to Madeira or Jamaica, with the rest moving to Spain or Tanger. Control of Gibraltar gave the Allied Powers control of the entry to the Mediterranean Sea (the other side of the Strait being Spanish territory, and thus non-belligerent). The Rock was a key part of the Allied supply lines to Malta and North Africa and base of the British Navy Force H, and prior to the war the racecourse on the isthmus was converted into an airbase and a concrete runway constructed (1938). The repatriation of the civilians started in 1944 and proceeded until 1951, causing considerable suffering and frustration. However, most of the population had returned by 1946.

"Her Majesty's Government will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes."
Gibraltarians entering Spain after the land border between Spain and Gibraltar was opened on 15 December 1982.

Twenty-first century

The actual voting was as follows: 18,176 voted representing 87.9% of the electorate. There were 89 papers spoilt of which 72 were blank 18,087 of which 187 Voted YES, and 17,900 voted NO.
The Referendum was supervised by a team of international observers headed by the Labour MP Gerald Kaufman, who certified that it had been held fairly, freely and democratically.[82]
Tercentenary celebrations in Gibraltar, flags fly everywhere.
Despite this, Gibraltar celebrated its Tercentenary, with a number of events on 4 August, including the population encircling the rock holding hands, and granting the Freedom of the City to the Royal Navy.
The three participants confirm that the necessary preparatory work related to agreements on the airport, pensions, telephones and fence/border issues, carried out during the last 18 months, has been agreed. Accordingly, they have decided to convene in Spain the first Ministerial meeting of the Tripartite Forum of Dialogue on Gibraltar on 18 September 2006.
1. Spain agrees to recognise Gibraltar's international dialling code (350) and allow mobile roaming.
2. Spanish restrictions on civil flights at the airport will be removed. A new terminal building will also be constructed, allowing a direct passage to/from the north side of the fence/frontier (in order to overcome problems of terminology relating to references to the words “frontier” or “fence”, the phrase “fence/frontier” is used in the documents).
3. There will be normality of traffic flow at the fence/frontier.
4. Britain agrees to pay uprated pensions to those Spanish citizens who lost their livelihoods when the border was unilaterally closed by Francisco Franco in 1969.
5. A branch of the Instituto Cervantes will be opened in Gibraltar.
This agreement is seen as a major milestone in Gibraltar's history.

See also

Notes

  1. Discover pocket guide to Gibraltar, 5th edition
  2. Neanderthals at Gorham's Cave, Gibraltar
  3. National Geographic – Last of the Neanderthals
  4. Choi, Charles (2006). "Gibraltar". MSNBC. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  5. López de Ayala, Ignacio (1845). The History of Gibraltar: From the Earliest Period of Its Occupation by the Saracens : Comprising Details of the Numerous Conflicts for Its Possession Between the Moors and the Christians, Until Its Final Surrender in 1462 : and of Subsequent Events : with an Appendix Containing Interesting Documents. William Pickering. p. 106. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  6. Jackson, Sir William Godfrey Fothergill (1987). "5. Spanish Neglect: The Ninth and Tenth Sieges and the Corsair Raid, 1462 to 1560". The Rock of the Gibraltarians; A History of Gibraltar (Second ed.). London and Toronto: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. pp. 73–75. ISBN 0-8386-3237-8.
  7. 1 2 BBC Radio 4 (1 November 2005). "Gibraltar". The Sceptred Island: Empire. A 90 part history of the British Empire. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  8. Virginia León Sanz (2000). "El reinado del archiduque Carlos en España: la continuidad de un programa dinástico de gobierno (The reign of the Archduke Charles in Spain: the continuity of a dynastic government program), in Spanish" (PDF). Manuscrits. Revista d'història moderna. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2004. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  9. Tito Benady (August 2004). "The Attack on Gibraltar. Friday 2 August 1704" (PDF). Tercentenary Special. Gibraltar Chronicle. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-03-04. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  10. Campbell, John, 'Of Sir George Rooke', in Naval history of Great Britain: including the history and lives of the British admirals, Volume 4, (London: Baldwyn and Company, 1818), p. 65
  11. Murray, John Joseph, George I, the Baltic, and the Whig split of 1717: a study in diplomacy and propaganda, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1969), p. 58
  12. Robinson, Howard, The Development of the British Empire, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1923), p. 81
  13. Joe Bossano (1994). "The Fight for Self – Determination. Joe Bossano at the United Nations". Gibraltar... The unofficial homepage. Reference Documents about Gibraltar and its political struggles. Archived from the original on 15 December 2005. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  14. David Eade (2004). "1704 and all that". Celebrating 300 Years of British Gibraltar (Tercentenary Web Site). Government Tercentenary Office, Gibraltar Government. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  15. Cambridge University Press (1911). "Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th Ed. Gibraltar entry". Archived from the original on 13 May 2005. Retrieved 17 December 2005.
  16. Gibraltar. La razón y la fuerza, p. 90.
  17. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p. 99.
  18. 1 2 Rock of Contention. A History of Gibraltar, p. 475-477.
  19. Andrews, Allen, Proud Fortress The Fighting Story Of Gibraltar, p32-33: "The conquerors were out of control. (…)Into the raw hands of fighting seamen (…) alcohol and plunder and women passed wildly and indiscriminately. (…)The sack of Gibraltar was memorable through Andalusia for the peculiar fury of the invaders against the servants, houses and ornaments of the Catholic religion. (…) Every church in the city was desecrated save one.
  20. Jackson, Sir William, Rock of the Gibraltarians, p100-101: "Although Article V promised freedom or religion and full civil rights to all Spaniards who wished to stay in Habsburg Gibraltar, few decided to run the risk of remaining in the town. [..] English atrocities at Cádiz and elsewhere and the behaviour of the English sailors in the first days after the surrender suggested that if they stayed they might not live to see that day. Hesse's and Rooke's senior officers did their utmost to impose discipline, but the inhabitants worst fears were confirmed: women were insulted and outraged; Roman Catholic churches and institutions were taken over as stores and for other military purposes [..] ; and the whole town suffered at the hands of the ship's crew and marines who came ashore."
  21. Andrews, Allen, Proud Fortress The Fighting Story Of Gibraltar, p32-33: "The Spaniards could only retaliate with individual vengeance the knife in the back of a drink-hazed victor and the swift bundling of a body down a well."
  22. Jackson, Sir William, Rock of the Gibraltarians, p100-101: "Many bloody reprisals were taken by inhabitants before they left, bodies of murdered Englishmen and Dutchmen being thrown down wells and cesspits."
  23. Jackson, Sir William, Rock of the Gibraltarians, p100-101: "Although Article V promised freedom or religion and full civil rights to all Spaniards who wished to stay in Habsburg Gibraltar, few decided to run the risk of remaining in the town. By the time discipline was fully restored, few of the inhabitants wished or dared to remain."
  24. Rock of Contention. A History of Gibraltar, p. 176
  25. 1 2 3 The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p. 101.
  26. Rock of Contention. A History of Gibraltar, p. 176.
  27. "History of San Roque, donde reside la de Gibraltar (History of San Roque, where that of Gibraltar lives on), in Spanish". San Roque City Council. Archived from the original on 12 May 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2006.
  28. Gibraltar. La razón y la fuerza, p. 91.
  29. Rock of Contention. A History of Gibraltar, p. 177.
  30. ^ "The Old (Spanish) Inhabitants of Gibraltar who remained in town after the Rock was captured by the British in 1704". Loony Lenny online. Gibraltar for kids. Archived from the original on 12 December 2005. Retrieved 15 December 2005.
  31. Gibraltar was formally ceded to the United Kingdom by the Treaty of Utrecht. Up to that point, it was, at least nominally, a Habsburg possession. As William Jackson points out in The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p. 113: "As the ink dried on the Treaty of Utrecht, which turned Gibraltar from a Habsburg into a British fortress and city on the southern extremity of the Iberian peninsula..."
  32. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p. 114.
  33. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p. 115.
  34. "Letter from George I to the King of Spain On the restitution of Gibraltar (1/6/1721)". British History Online. 2003. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  35. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p. 142-143.
  36. Gibraltar: British or Spanish?, pg. 8.
  37. Gibraltar, pg. 99. Quoted in Gibraltar: British or Spanish?, pg. 8.
  38. Gibraltar, pg. 105. Quoted in Gibraltar: British or Spanish?, pg. 8.
  39. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p. 196.
  40. Catholic Encyclopedia (1913). "Vicariate Apostolic of Gibraltar". New Advent. Retrieved 2 January 2006.
  41. Rock of Contention. A History of Gibraltar, p. 368.
  42. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p. 209.
  43. Gibraltar: British or Spanish?, p. 9
  44. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p.229:
    The many strands of desiderable reform were brought together when, in 1830, responsibility for Gibraltar's affairs was transferred from the War Office to the new Colonial Office, and the status of the Rock was changed from 'The town and garrison of Gibraltar in the Kingdom of Spain' to the 'Crown Colony of Gibraltar'.
  45. Official History of the Diocese of Europe Archived 29 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  46. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p.252.
  47. List of Ship Accidents
  48. Paco Galliano (2003). History of Galliano's Bank (1855–1987): The Smallest Bank in the World. Gibraltar: Gibraltar Books. pp. 57–9.
  49. Heaton, Paul Michael (1985) Welsh Blockade Runners in the Spanish Civil War. Starling Press, p. 74. ISBN 0-9507714-5-7
  50. Gretton, Peter (1984). El Factor Olvidado: La Marina Británica y la Guerra Civil Española. Editorial San Martín, p. 412. ISBN 84-7140-224-6. (in Spanish)
  51. "Operation Felix. Directive No.18". Adolf Hitler Historical Record. adolfhitler.ws. Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  52. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p.296.
  53. Gibraltar, p.160. Quoted in Gibraltar: British or Spanish?, p.13.
  54. UN General Assembly (1966). "Resolution 2231(XXI). Question of Gibraltar" (PDF). Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly during its Twenty-First Session. United Nations. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  55. UN General Assembly (1967). "Resolution 2353(XXII). Question of Gibraltar" (PDF). Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly during its Twenty-Second Session. United Nations. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  56. Garcia, Joseph (1994). Gibraltar – The Making of a People. Gibraltar: Medsun. Dr Garcia graduated with a first class honours degree in history and obtained a doctorate on the political and constitutional development of Gibraltar.
  57. Jesús Salgado (coord.) (1996). "Informe sobre Gibraltar (Report on Gibraltar) (Spanish)" (PDF). INCIPE (Instituto de Cuestiones Internacionales y Política Exterior). Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  58. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p.316.
  59. Giles Tremlett (7 November 2002). "Rock's voters signal rejection of Spanish deal". The Guardian. Special Report. Gibraltar. London. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  60. Tito Benady (2001). "Spaniards in Gibraltar after the Treaty of Utrecht" (PDF). Instituto Transfronterizo del Estrecho de Gibraltar – Transborder Institute of the Strait of Gibraltar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  61. The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar, p. 316.
  62. Jackson, William (1990). The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar (2nd ed.). Grendon, Northamptonshire, UK: Gibraltar Books. pp. 323–324. ISBN 0-948466-14-6.
  63. Gibraltar faced secret handover under Heath
  64. Archer, Edward (2006). Gibraltar, identity and empire. London New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415347969.
  65. "Unite to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of 1972 General Strike". The Gibraltar Chronicle. The Gibraltar Chronicle. 7 August 2012. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  66. Country Profile: Gibraltar (British Overseas Territory) "On 18 September 2006, the first Trilateral Ministerial meeting was held at the Palacio de Viana in Cordoba. Mr Geoff Hoon, Minister for Europe, represented the UK, while Foreign Minister Moratinos and Chief Minister Peter Caruana represented Spain and Gibraltar respectively. At the meeting, a landmark agreement was reached on a range of issues. These included: telecommunications; the expanded use of Gibraltar Airport; the improvement of pedestrian and traffic flows at the border crossing between Gibraltar and Spain; and a settlement on pensions that would provide a fair deal for those Spanish citizens who lost their livelihoods when the border between Spain and Gibraltar closed in 1969."
  67. Communique of the ministerial meeting of the forum of dialogue on Gibraltar 18 09 2006 "More fluid movement of people, vehicles and goods between Gibraltar and the surrounding area will improve the day to day lives of people in Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar. The Spanish Government, through the Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria, is already investing close to one and a half million euros in substantial improvement works to its facilities and those of the Guardia Civil. The works will be completed this year, at which time the access will operate on a two lane basis in both directions and the red/green channels system, for both people and for vehicles, will be introduced. The Gibraltar Government has also invested substantial sums of money on the enhancement of its facilities. "
  68. Gibraltar: Crossing the Border
  69. Border Crossings, Gibraltar
  70. Traffic mayhem at La Linea-Gibraltar border crossing
  71. Governments of the United Kingdom and Spain (27 November 1984). "The Brussels Agreement". Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  72. Governments of the United Kingdom and Spain (2 December 1987). "The Airport Agreement". Archived from the original on 12 December 2005. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  73. "Press Release: "Nuclear sub leaves Gibraltar"". BBC News. 7 May 2001.
  74. Gibpubsafe document included in Appendix 6
  75. "UK faces legal action for failure to implement Euratom health and safety provisions against ionising radiation".
  76. "Environmental Safety Group Site".
  77. "EU urged to probe U.K. nuclear sub". CNN. 25 January 2001. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  78. "Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber) of 29 January 2004. Commission of the European Communities v United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
  79. "Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 9 March 2006. Commission of the European Communities v United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
  80. "The Government of Gibraltar considers the repair of HMS Tireless in Gibraltar to be an isolated and exceptional case that creates no precedent. The Gibraltar Government is strenuously opposed to the establishment of Gibraltar as a nuclear vessel repair facility." "Press Release: Statement by the Government of Gibraltar relating to the Ministry of Defence’s proposal to carry out repairs to HMS Tireless in Gibraltar".
  81. Gibraltar threat to repair of Tireless. Telegraph.co.uk. By Isambard Wilkinson in Madrid. 16 Jan 2001.
  82. Committee of Observers (December 2002). "Gibraltar Referendum Observers Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2006. Retrieved 20 January 2006.
  83. Peter Almond (14 August 2004). "UK ignores Spain on Gibraltar tercentenary". The Washington Times. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  84. Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (2004). "Joint Statement Announcing new Dialogue Forum – 'Tripartite Talks' for Gibraltar". Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  85. Joint Communique of the Tripartite Forum of Dialogue on Gibraltar
  86. Tripartite Agreement announced 18 September 2006
  87. In the Gibraltar : working paper / prepared by the Secretariat. United Nations, 20 Mar 2008 the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom at the United Nations stated that
    ...relationships between the United Kingdom and Gibraltar [...] had been modernized in a manner acceptable to both sides. Gibraltar was now politically mature, and its relationship with the United Kingdom was non-colonial in nature.
  88. Government of Gibraltar – Gibraltar relationship with UK no longer colonial
  89. The Gibraltar Chronicle 30/06/07
  90. Special Committee on Decolonization, 9th Meeting (18 July 2008) – As Special Committee on Decolonization considers Question of Gibraltar, Territory's Chief Minister says its decolonisation 'No longer pending'
  91. Special Committee on Decolonization, 9th Meeting (18 July 2008) – As Special Committee on Decolonization considers Question of Gibraltar, Territory's Chief Minister says its decolonisation 'No longer pending':
    Agreeing with a proposal by the Chairman, the Committee then decided that, in light of related developments, it would continue its consideration of the question of Gibraltar at its next session.
  92. "Spanish Airline Suspends Flights". Sky News. 22 September 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
  93. Fedra Captain arrested
  94. Britain tells Spain violation unacceptable Archived 1 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  95. Return of the Armada
  96. Incident at Harbour Views
  97. Apology avoids major fracas
  98. Homecoming event
  99. New ferry service
  100. Gibraltar: Between a Rock and a hard place
  101. Government responds to Sanchez statements

Bibliography


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.