History of Gibraltar

The name Gibraltar comes from the Arabic Jabal al Tariq, which means "Tariq's mountain" (for Tariq ibn-Ziyad). Earlier it was Calpe, one of the Columns of Hercules.

Treaty of Utrecht

The territory was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht as part of the settlement of the War of the Spanish Succession. 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."

Nonetheless, the treaty stipulates that no overland trade between Gibraltar and Spain is to take place, except for emergency provisions in the case that Gibraltar is unable to be resupplied by sea. Another condition of the cession is 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." If Britain decides to sell Gibraltar, Spain is guaranteed first purchasing rights. This article of the Treaty has been used by Britain to deny independence to Gibraltar, and by Spain to pursue its claim over the Rock.

Most of the original Spanish inhabitants of Gibraltar fled from the Rock when it was seized in 1704 by the Anglo-Dutch expedition force headed by Sir George Rooke. Many established a new town in San Roque in the province of Cadiz, which still has the full title La Ciudad de Gibraltar en San Roque. Many Spanish nationalist argue that it is the people of San Roque, and not the 'present inhabitants' of Gibraltar, who are the people of Gibraltar. In 2002, the municipality of San Roque angered the Government of Gibraltar, when it used the slogan 'La Ciudad de San Roque, donde reside la de Gibraltar' (the city of San Roque, where that of Gibraltar resides).

Spanish claims to sovereignty

In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II visited Gibraltar, which angered General Franco, leading to the closure of the Spanish consulate and to the imposition of restrictions on freedom of movement between Gibraltar and Spain. By the 1960s, motor vehicles were being restricted or banned from crossing the border, while only Spanish nationals employed on the Rock being allowed to enter Gibraltar.

At the United Nations, Spain argued that the principle of territorial integrity, not self-determination, applied in the case of Gibraltar, and that Britain should cede sovereignty of the Rock to Spain. Madrid gained diplomatic support from countries in Latin America, with the UN General Assembly passing resolutions supporting the Spanish case. For its part, Britain stated that it would respect the wishes of the people of Gibraltar, and that there would be no change of sovereignty against their wishes.

A small group of Gibraltarians, known as the palomos or 'doves', advocated a political settlement with Spain, but this provoked widespread public hostility and civil unrest. On 10th September 1967, a referendum was held in , in which Gibraltar's voters were asked whether they wished a) to pass under Spanish sovereignty, or b) remain under British sovereignty, with institutions of self-government. Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly by 12 138 to 44, to remain under British sovereignty.

Under the 1969 Constitution, Gibraltar attained full internal self-government, with an elected House of Assembly. The preamble to the Constitution stated that "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."

In response, Spain closed the border with Gibraltar in 1969, and severed all communication links. Gibraltarians with families in Spain had to go by ferry to Tangier in Morocco, and from there to the Spanish port of Algeciras, while many Spanish workers lost their jobs in Gibraltar. This situation remained unchanged after the death of General Franco in 1975, with the border not fully reopened until 1985.

Major Robert (later Sir Robert) Peliza of the Integration with Britain Party (IWBP) was elected Chief Minister in 1969, although Joshua (later Sir Joshua) Hassan of the Association for the Advancement of Civil Rights (AACR) was returned to power in 1972.

In 1975, the British Foreign Office Minister Roy Hattersley ruled out integration with the UK, and stated that any constitutional change would have to involve a 'Spanish dimension'. This position was reaffirmed the following year when the British government rejected the House of Assembly's proposals for constitutional reform. The IWBP broke up and was succeeded by the Democratic Party of British Gibraltar (DPBG), led first by Maurice Xiberras, formerly of the IWBP, and subsequently by Peter Isola.

In 1982 the re-opening of the border was delayed in the wake of the war between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. The re-opening was only partial, as only pedestrians resident in Gibraltar and Spain were allowed to cross the border.

Under the 1985 Brussels Agreement, Britain agreed to enter into discussions with Spain over Gibraltar, including sovereignty. In 1987, a proposal for joint control of Gibraltar's airport with Spain led to widespread opposition locally. Chief Minister Sir Joshua Hassan resigned at the end of that year, to be succeeded by Adolfo Canepa.

In 1988 Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) leader Joe Bossano was elected as Chief Minister, and firmly ruled out any discussions with Spain over sovereignty. In the 1996 election, Bossano was replaced by Peter Caruana, of the Gibraltar Social-Democrats (GSD), who while favouring dialogue with Spain, also ruled out any deals on sovereignty.

In 1988, there was controversy when three members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were shot dead by the SAS, after they were suspected of planning to bomb a military parade, although a car bomb was later discovered in Spain. In 1991, the British Army effectively withdrew from Gibraltar, leaving only the locally recruited Royal Gibraltar Regiment, although the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy remain.

Spain has made various proposals involving the sovereignty of Gibraltar, which have been rejected by all parties in the Gibraltar House of Assembly. In 1991, the Socialist government of Felipe Gonzalez proposed joint sovereignty over Gibraltar with the UK. A similar proposal was advocated by Peter Cumming, formerly of the GSD, in which the Rock would become a self-governing condominium or 'Royal City', with the British and Spanish monarchs as joint heads of state.

In 1997, the Partido Popular Spanish Foreign Minister, Abel Matutes made proposals under which Gibraltar would be under joint sovereignty for fifty years, before being fully incorporated into Spain, as an autonomous region, similar to Catalonia or the Basque Country, but these were rejected by British government.

In 2001, the British Government announced plans to reach a final agreement with Spain over the future of Gibraltar, which would involve shared sovereignty, but this was decisively rejected in November 2002 when over 98% of the electorate voted against joint sovereignty between the UK and Spain.