Chief Minister Peter Caruana has explained the importance of "the Tripartite Forum, cross-border relations and mutual dependence in the context of the historical sovereignty dispute", to an audience of students in La Linea.

In answer to Chronicle questions, a Gibraltar Government spokesman said Mr Caruana's address "was well attended and received by the students at the Virgen de la Esperanza and Antonio Machado secondary schools."

 

Meanwhile a spokesman for the Mayor of La Linea Alejandro Sanchez welcomed the Mar del Sur initiative in inviting Mr Caruana to give a talk to the schools.

"It is vital that there should be initiatives in favour of dialogue that will further civil co-existence between us. Mr Caruana's talk was well received and prompted many questions from students and teachers. His decisive effort to facilitate neighbourly relations is clearly the way forward," said the spokesman.

Mr Caruana had already given a similar talk at the same schools some years ago.

CARUANA CRITICAL OF LANDALUCE APPROACH TO GIB

Meanwhile speaking to the Campo press afterwards, Mr Caruana described PP Member of Parliament for Cadiz Jose Ignacio Landaluce as "a self-proclaimed megaphone of Gibraltar related issues."

Mr Caruana declared that although he respected Sr Landaluce, "it is a politician's duty to pursue constructive dialogue."

He continued: "Just shouting out an opinion gets you nowhere. Now if Sr Landaluce is content to shout out what he believes Spaniards want to hear in relation to Gibraltar issues, then that is his problem."

Mr Caruana also referred to recent remarks by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon urging the Committee of 24 to accelerate the decolonisation of the remaining 16 territories on the list of non self governing territories, which has prompted remarks both from the Spanish opposition PP and the GSLP/Libs in Gibraltar.

"If it is only the opposition on both sides that speak about this in public, there must be a reason for it. The Gibraltar Government no longer attends the Committee of 24 because the new constitution of 2006 established a non-colonial relationship with Britain. There is nothing that we have to ask for," he declared.

Mr Caruana added that in any case it is up to the C24 "if it so wishes to recognise the effects of our new constitution."