Post by kittydracy123 on Apr 4, 2017 11:25:28 GMT
Prime Minister Theresa May has laughed off journalists' questions about going to war with Spain following the Gibraltar Brexit row.
Mrs May said her approach to negotiations was "definitely jaw jaw".
On Sunday ex-Tory leader Lord Howard said the PM would defend Gibraltar in the same way as Margaret Thatcher defended the Falklands in the 1982 war.
Spain's foreign minister said his government was "surprised by the tone of comments coming out of Britain".
"It seems someone is losing their cool," Alfonso Dastis told a conference in Madrid.
What's the Gibraltar Brexit row about?
Reality Check: Does Spain have more to lose?
A profile of Gibraltar
Brexit talks: The key issues
The current row was sparked by draft Brexit negotiating guidelines published by the EU last Friday saying any decisions affecting Gibraltar would be run past Spain.
The guidelines said: "After the United Kingdom leaves the Union, no agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom may apply to the territory of Gibraltar without the agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom."
Media captionWhy Gibraltar is British - in 60 secs
Speaking to reporters on a flight to Jordan, Mrs May was asked if - borrowing from a phase used by Winston Churchill - Britain's approach should be described as "jaw jaw, not war war".
"It's definitely jaw jaw," replied the PM, who laughed when asked to rule out a war with Spain.
"What we are doing, with all EU countries in the EU is sitting down and talking to them," she said.
"We're going to be talking to them about getting the best possible deal for the UK and for those countries - Spain included."
Mrs May said British policy on Gibraltar had not, and would not, change.
Gibraltar: key facts
Union Jack flag, the flag of Gibraltar and the EU flagImage copyrightAFP
Gibraltarians are British citizens but they run their own affairs under a chief minister
The territory is self-governing in all matters - including taxation - except foreign policy and defence, which are dealt with by the UK government
Despite its small size, Gibraltar is strategically important, standing only 12 miles from the north coast of Africa. It has a UK military base, including a port and airstrip
Gibraltar's chief minister Fabian Picardo said: "Gibraltar is not a bargaining chip in these negotiations. Gibraltar belongs to the Gibraltarians and we want to stay British."
Mr Picardo urged European Council President Donald Tusk to remove the reference to Gibraltar.
"Mr Tusk, who has been given to using the analogies of the divorce and divorce petition, is behaving like a cuckolded husband who is taking it out on the children," he said.
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Mrs May said her approach to negotiations was "definitely jaw jaw".
On Sunday ex-Tory leader Lord Howard said the PM would defend Gibraltar in the same way as Margaret Thatcher defended the Falklands in the 1982 war.
Spain's foreign minister said his government was "surprised by the tone of comments coming out of Britain".
"It seems someone is losing their cool," Alfonso Dastis told a conference in Madrid.
What's the Gibraltar Brexit row about?
Reality Check: Does Spain have more to lose?
A profile of Gibraltar
Brexit talks: The key issues
The current row was sparked by draft Brexit negotiating guidelines published by the EU last Friday saying any decisions affecting Gibraltar would be run past Spain.
The guidelines said: "After the United Kingdom leaves the Union, no agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom may apply to the territory of Gibraltar without the agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom."
Media captionWhy Gibraltar is British - in 60 secs
Speaking to reporters on a flight to Jordan, Mrs May was asked if - borrowing from a phase used by Winston Churchill - Britain's approach should be described as "jaw jaw, not war war".
"It's definitely jaw jaw," replied the PM, who laughed when asked to rule out a war with Spain.
"What we are doing, with all EU countries in the EU is sitting down and talking to them," she said.
"We're going to be talking to them about getting the best possible deal for the UK and for those countries - Spain included."
Mrs May said British policy on Gibraltar had not, and would not, change.
Gibraltar: key facts
Union Jack flag, the flag of Gibraltar and the EU flagImage copyrightAFP
Gibraltarians are British citizens but they run their own affairs under a chief minister
The territory is self-governing in all matters - including taxation - except foreign policy and defence, which are dealt with by the UK government
Despite its small size, Gibraltar is strategically important, standing only 12 miles from the north coast of Africa. It has a UK military base, including a port and airstrip
Gibraltar's chief minister Fabian Picardo said: "Gibraltar is not a bargaining chip in these negotiations. Gibraltar belongs to the Gibraltarians and we want to stay British."
Mr Picardo urged European Council President Donald Tusk to remove the reference to Gibraltar.
"Mr Tusk, who has been given to using the analogies of the divorce and divorce petition, is behaving like a cuckolded husband who is taking it out on the children," he said.
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