This morning,Chief Minister Fabian Picardo made a presentation to the US National Press Club, in Washington DC on why Gibraltar matters to the United States. Mr. Picardo’s speech, in its entirety, is as follows:
The Gibraltar Football Association’s young Under 19s team left Gibraltar this morning, where they are set to play their first round of UEFA grade Qualifying Rounds for the European U-19 Championship.
The 16 strong team will first stop in Sofia, Bulgaria to play a friendly match against the national U-19 team, this Friday. Following this, the group will set off for the Czech Republic where they will play matches against Croatia, Czech Republic and Cyprus. The top two teams of each group will then progress to the Elite Round alongside the third-placed team with the best record against the top pair in their group.
The Gibraltar National Dance Organisation has selected the 2013 Gibraltar National Dance Team who are finalising their training and dance routines. The team will represent Gibraltar at international competitions organised by the International Dance Organisation.
The GSD asks that the Government confirm that none of the £30 million lent to the owners of the Sunborn by Credit Finance Company Limited will be used to pay for any debts owed by the owners of that vessel in a foreign jurisdiction. This follows reports in the international press that the owners of the Sunborn Hotel owe the ‘ayuntamiento’ in Barcelona Euro 1.6 million.
It will be recalled that Credit Finance Company Limited was only able to provide that loan because it was provided with over £307 million of savers’ money from the proceeds of debentures from the Gibraltar Savings Bank. The Opposition believes it would not be right for any of that money to end up going to pay for debts owed outside Gibraltar.
The Opposition is also asking the Government whether any further sums have been loaned to the owners of the Sunborn since the Chief Minister revealed the day after the by-election that £30 million had been lent to them.
