In 2002, an agreement in principle on joint sovereignty over Gibraltar between the governments of the United Kingdom and Spain was announced.
12.
The conservative Spanish daily newspaper ABC cited unidentified Spanish foreign ministry sources as saying that Britain had agreed to study the proposal for joint sovereignty.
13.
Gibraltar's Chief Minister, Peter Caruana, has said the colony's 35, 000 inhabitants will vote overwhelmingly against joint sovereignty.
14.
The high-level talks, reportedly centering on a plan for joint sovereignty, have failed to close the gaps between the two nations.
15.
Spanish Foreign Minister Abel Matutes raised the proposal for joint sovereignty of the colony in talks with British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind in Madrid last week.
16.
Straw refused to comment on a report in the Financial Times Tuesday, which said Britain was willing to consider a joint sovereignty arrangement with Spain.
17.
"Joint sovereignty does not resolve Gibraltar's colonial status, rather it enshrines it and perpetuates it forever, " he said.
18.
Although Straw had felt confident enough to announce that there had been talks on joint sovereignty, a number of issues still remained to be resolved.
19.
It was the first time that Menem, who has vowed to regain the islands through diplomatic means by the year 2000, has proposed joint sovereignty.
20.
The reports said that under the Spanish plan, the period of joint sovereignty would be followed by the hand over of Gibraltar to full Spanish control.
