ABSTRACT
Spain and Great Britain had agreed that the gates between Gibraltar and Spain would be reopened on 20 April 1982. When the Falkland crisis occurred, the opening was postponed to 25 June 1982. There is good reason to believe that had the British failed to react as they did in the Falklands, Spain might well have been tempted to try its hand at a similar use of force for the reacquisition of Gibraltar. Criticizing Great Britain at that time for using force to recover the Falklands, the Spanish representative said: "Spain has a long dispute over the British crown colony of Gibraltar that makes the outcome of the Falklands conflict especially significant to Spain." As in the case of Gibraltar, Great Britain has, in effect, given the Falkland Islanders a virtual veto power over the aspect of its foreign policy by committing itself to take no action affecting their future without their approval.
