In the Freamble to the Gibraltar Constitution Order in Council of May 1969 the British Government gave assurances that they "will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes". The new constitution came into force in August 1969 and formalised arrangements for the devolution of responsibility to Gibraltar Ministers in respect of damestic matters. A House of Assembly of
15 elected members replaced the Legislative Council of 11 members and the former City Council was abolished. The Governor appoints the Speaker from persons who are not members of the House of Assembly.
Lord Home, then Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, visited Gibraltar in September 1971 and reaffirmed British Government pledges, pointing out that nothing in these pledges or Gibraltarian wishes need rule out an accommodation with Spain, provided that it was acceptable to all concerned.
After meetings between the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary Dr Cwen and the panish Foreign Minister, r Oreja in Strasbourg in November 1977 and Paris in March 1978, it was agreed that official working groups should be set up to examine various matters of mutual interest in Gibraltar. The first meeting took place in London on 17 and 18 July. The British side included Gibraltarian officials. Topics raised were pensions meritime communications and telecommunications. Each side agreed to study the views which had benn put forward and, where appropriate, to exchange further information. It is expected that the further meetings will take place in the autumn of 1978.
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