TNAG-0378-FCO40-424-UK-policy-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-after-1997-1973 — Page 36

CONFIDENTIAL

past, been considered as possible or partial solutions to the

plem and which could constitute useful, or necessary,

ingredients in an overall solution as outlined above:

(a)

(b)

Gibraltarians, who already enjoy in practice free-

dom of entry into the United Kingdom under the

terms of the EEC free movement of labour provisions,

could additionally be helped to resettle in the

United Kingdom if they so wished, by means of finan-

cial grants etc;

although the situation on the ground in Gibraltar

would remain basically unaltered, it might be neces-

sary for Spain to offer Gibraltar the option of a

special régime within Spain guaranteeing a wide degree

of local autonomy; this option would be, in effect,

the subject of the recurrent referenda (see Main

Solution);

(c) the Spaniards would be offered joint use, but not

joint control, of Gibraltar Airport for both civil

and military aircraft, with possible expansion on

to "Spanish Neutral Ground" (the Ministry of Defence,

however, would need to study the implications of

such an offer in detail before it could be made);

(a) the British "frontier" fence could be removed, or

(e)

somehow made less offensive, presentationally, to

the Spaniards (eg by being renamed); in pradice some

sort of checkpoint would probably still be required;

the Gibraltar Constitution might be amended,

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CONFIDENTIAL

/purely