US interests are better served with Gibraltar in UK hands, says Garcia

The interests of the United States and its Western allies are better served with Gibraltar in British hands.

That was the forthright message delivered to political circles in Washington by the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia.

Dr Garcia attended a dinner with a number of Congressmen after two full days of meetings.

In his discussions, Dr Garcia reminded those present of the use of Gibraltar by the armed forces of the United States going back to the first engagement of the US Navy from the Rock in 1801 against Barbary Pirates.

He explained the lesser known story of how Gibraltar became the nerve centre for the protection of convoys during World War One, with 40 US warships, over 300 officers and 4,000 men based on the Rock.

Dr Garcia went on to stress the importance of Gibraltar during World War Two and pointed out that General Eisenhower had planned Operation Torch, the campaign in North Africa, from tunnels inside the very Rock itself.

That relationship with US Forces continues to this day.

There was a recognition of the role that Gibraltar has played over the centuries in the defence of freedom and democracy.

Indeed, this sentiment is reflected in the Resolution thanking Gibraltar which has been tabled before the House of Representatives and which also endorses Gibraltar’s right to self-determination as a British Overseas Territory.

“Self-determination is one of the very principles on which the United States was built,” Dr Garcia emphasised.

The Deputy Chief Minister was also able to discuss Gibraltar issues with a number of interested parties belonging to influential think tanks and relevant Committees.

According to a Gibraltar Government statement, there was a genuine concern that Spain does not use Brexit in order to advance its sovereignty claim in order to redraw the borders of Europe.
Dr Garcia was accompanied throughout by Gibraltar’s US Representative, New York based lawyer, David Liston and Personal Assistant Ernest Francis.