Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)IT seems that La Linea’s mayor isn’t going to give up as easily as Gibraltarians were hoping.
Two days after suggesting that La Linea charge a toll for Gibraltar visitors coming through the Spanish border town, Mayor Alejandro Sanchez has travelled to Madrid to meet with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos.
The mayor claims that residents of his financially troubled town should have ‘the same economic progress as its Gibraltar neighbours and friends,’ but that he does not want La Linea to complicate Spain’s relations with Gibraltar.
Sanchez discussed several topics in addition to the border tax on his trip to Madrid, and the ministry insists that the forum between Spain, Gibraltar, and Britain is chiefly focused on balancing the collective interests of all three.
A press conference regarding the meetings is expected by Friday, but previous statements from the Tripartite Forum for Dialogue members have said they will discuss maritime security, the environment, and tax policy.
For more on tensions between La Linea and Gibraltar, see more Olive Press coverage.
Good job Sanchez has a sense of humour.
Some of your readers (ex pats) will probably be the first to have to pay the 5Euro Toll that the La Linea Mayor will be charging.I am referring to the ones that shop at Morrisons
I suspect us Gibbos will probably take the blame, as we always do, when the Quixotes practice their usual style of democracy and upset people’s right of movement within the EU.
Still, no matter what we are here to stay for eternity, by that I mean Gibraltar will never be Spanish because we Gibbos will never allow it, even if any means that outsiders are inconvenienced by it.
Alex