By Jason Moore
AT last a deal has been reached over Gibraltar which will allow the British enclave to open up. Spain for many years had sought to isolate Gibraltar airport, not allowing any flights from Spain to the Rock. Naturally, this had a knock-on affect on Gibraltar's economy which depends on tourism. The deal is certainly a step forward and also shows that Prime Minister Zapatero's policy on dialogue is far better than the stand off and hostile attitude of previous administrations. While former Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar may have been a great friend of Prime Minister Tony Blair, his government was involved in plenty sabre rattling over Gibraltar. The landmark deal which effectively opens up the airport and to a lesser extent the border shows that Spain is now prepared to act in a more mature manner over Gibraltar. At least the Spanish government has realised that by trying to punish the people of the Rock, they were getting nowhere. I am sure that further deals will soon be on the horizon and relations between the governments of the Rock and Spain will begin to thaw. While soverignty will never be an issue the warmer relations will certainly benefit both sides and in some cases help further improve relations between Spain and Britain which have always been slightly marred by this issue.
A step forward