Gibraltar Pledges Allegiance to the Crown

Voters in Gibraltar overwhelmingly rejected a referendum about joint British-Spanish sovereignty for the territory on Thursday. 17,900 Gibraltarians (98.97 percent) said "no" compared to a mere 187 votes in favor of the measure.

Gibraltar's Chief Minister, Peter Caruana, said that the result of the referendum "sent a clear message to the world."

No effect

In real terms, however, the vote means very little. Both the UK and Spain announced prior to the plebiscite that they would not recognize the result. The outcome has no legal legitimacy as both London and Madrid have insisted on proceeding with negotiations over shared sovereignty.

The Gibraltarians staged the referendum for the sole purpose of making it clear to the larger countries where their preferences lie. And as Caruana told Tony Blair, England’s parliament should "take stock of this referendum result. It is the will of the people of Gibraltar."

An old feud

For London and Madrid the "no" vote is a small setback for their attempts to settle the century-old dispute over the territory.

The sovereignty issue stems from the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, which forced Spain to cede Gibraltar to Britain. At the time Britain was accorded possession of the "Rock" for as long as it wanted. The territory automatically reverts to the Spaniards if the British decide to give it up.

Spain still has its heart set on possession of Gibraltar, despite the animosity of the territory's inhabitants, who identify themselves as Brits. Many of them still harbor bitter memories of the Rock's isolation during the years of General Franco's dictatorship in Spain (1939 - 1975).

A total of 87.9 percent of Gibraltarian voters cast their ballots in the referendum.