UN General Assembly
1964

45. Since 16 October 1964, when the Committee of Twenty-Four adopted its decision on Gibraltar, only one thing has disturbed and worried us. We are not afraid that the United Kingdom may delay its reply or advance various pretexts for refusing to negotiate at the behest of the United Nations. What does disturb us is that in the meantime it is quite clear that the policy of the fait accompli, which brought the problem of Gibraltar before this Organization, has not been abandoned; that the political institutions of Gibraltar are being maintained and even strengthened; that the United Kingdom Secretary of State for the Colonies speaks of a "Chief Minister" of the "Government of Gibraltar", thus taking it for granted that the people emcamped round a military base on foreign soil have the right to dispose of the piece of territory occupied by the base. Before the consensus of 16 October, this policy was an offence to Spain. Since that consensus, it has become an offence to the United Nations, whose recommendations it disregards. Here and nowhere else lies the root of the conflict and of any future disturbance.