Peter Caruana interrupted his holiday in Sotogrande to have dinner with the new Spanish Secretary of State for Europe, Juan Pablo de la Iglesia, a "working dinner" that is. Although the question of the frontier toll proposed by the Mayor of La Linea and the inconvenience created at the frontier by the road works being carried out were part of the agenda, the main matters for discussion in this "getting to know you meal" were the matters being negotiated in the Tripartite Forum for Dialogue which are already riddled with difficulties as a result of the continued incursions by the "Guardia Civil" of British Territorial Waters around Gibraltar and by the designation by the EU of these waters as Spanish in respect of the application of EU directives on maritime environmental affairs, a matter which is still before the European Court of Justice awaiting resolution. It was clear to most political observers at the end of the last round of technical talks arising out of the Tripartite Forum held in Gibraltar that there was a large element of stalemate, not only on the items currently under discussion or negotiation, but on matters agreed years ago in Cordoba such as the "Instituto Cervantes" [which is now again giving signs of some life], and the Spanish link to the costly and extravagant Air Terminal Peter Caruana is building in the expectation of receiving one million passengers a year when today we only receive 130,000 [his figures not ours]. There was no progress in neither of these two items but this has not stopped Peter Caruana from continuing with plans to give away 50% of the company that is to run the Air Terminal to a Spanish firm as agreed in Cordoba. Spain does not keep to its timetable on practically anything but we in Gibraltar continue with all things Tripartite by ignoring what is happening around us, as if the crisis created by Alejandro Sanchez or the "Guardia Civil" incursions, the challenge to our air space and the queues at the frontier were not happening or had anything whatsoever to do with us. The funny thing about this is that most people disagree anyway with "Cervantes" coming in to replace British culture with Spanish culture, which is what Moratinos told the Spanish Parliament, or with the link of the Air Terminal and all this paraphernalia about a glass screen to monitor documentation of passengers by Spanish authorities. If the Spaniards have done neither of these things, bully for us. Where, however, does this leave the Tripartite Forum for Dialogue?

Jose Carracao is one of the architects of this forum and an advocate of keeping it alive; probably because of all the benefits it has already given Spain. He, and indeed even the Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, have never minced their words in saying that this process was for Spain, another means to the same sovereignty end. We have been told here in Gibraltar that there is no danger to the sovereignty of Gibraltar in participating in this process. The Spanish Senator last week made proposals for joint sovereignty leading to eventual full Spanish sovereignty and said that the Gibraltarians would be comfortable with these proposals if they were discussed between the three parties, namely the United Kingdom, Spain and Gibraltar. He clearly sees this as the culmination of the process of dialogue with the timetable being just right for Moratinos who promised the Spanish people big advancements over sovereignty within the present term of office, immediately after his re-election into Government.

With all of what is going on with the "Partido Popular" in La Linea and beyond, with the PSOE clearly believing that they have struck oil where sovereignty is concerned and with the matters on the Tripartite agenda riddled with difficulties due to unilateral actions by the Spanish Government, it would be wise to tell Spain that the Tripartite is now on suspended animation until all parties understand that this is just a vehicle to promote co-operation between neighbours and nothing else. When we are all on the same wavelength is when real co-operation can develop, not before.