Brexit and Gibraltar. Pedro Sanchez reiterates his threat of veto

If he does not win on Gibraltar, the head of the Spanish government is still ready to block the agreement reached with the United Kingdom on the exit of the country of the European Union, he said Wednesday .

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reiterated on Wednesday night his threat to veto the Brexit deal at Sunday's EU summit if he does not win the case in Gibraltar.

"If this is not resolved by Sunday, Spain unfortunately [...] will vote no and exercise its veto power because it is an issue that affects the essence of our country," said the Socialist when a press conference with his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa after a summit between the two countries in Valladolid (center).

Ready to go all the way

"The withdrawal agreement is not acceptable, as the political declaration" on the future relationship between the EU and the United Kingdom, insisted Pedro Sanchez, according to which Brussels and London must be "aware that this is a essential point " .

"We feel frustrated [...] We defend the interests of the Spanish nation and we will do it to the end," he added.

Spain blames the draft Brexit agreement issued a week ago not to write in black and white that it will have a veto over future negotiations on Gibraltar, a British enclave in the south of the country Madrid claims sovereignty.

Spain wants to remove any ambiguity

Spain, which says it had not known about the draft agreement until the day of its publication a week ago, calls for a modification of the text by the EU negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, or another solution to remove any "ambiguity" .

Even before the start of the Brexit negotiations in June 2017, the 27 pledged that "no agreement between the EU and the UK will apply to the territory of Gibraltar" without the green light of the 'Spain.

Already warned by Foreign Minister Josep Borrell on Monday and Sanchez himself on Tuesday, this warning, a few days before the extraordinary summit in Brussels supposed to seal the divorce agreement with the United Kingdom, is all the more surprising. it comes from a country generally considered a good student of the EU.