Spain, UK hold first talks on Brexit’s fallout in Gibraltar

MADRID – Britain and Spain say they have held their first informal Brexit-related talks this week in Madrid touching on how Britain’s future departure from the European Union could apply to Gibraltar.

The EU’s guidelines on negotiations for Britain’s future relationship with the bloc granted Spain veto rights over the issue of Gibraltar, the tiny outcrop at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula that London has controlled for three centuries against Madrid’s wishes.

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday that high-ranking officials from the ministry received a British delegation on Thursday. It did not elaborate.

The British Foreign Office said the “informal meeting” was “productive” and that Gibraltar authorities had been involved in setting it up and were briefed on it. It added Britain is committed to defending Gibraltar’s priorities.

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Kirka reported from London.