MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Spain to suspend Gibraltar cruise ban

Spain has instructed its Port authorities to lift the ban on cruise ships arriving from Gibraltar, reports Gibraltar's Chronicle in this Friday's edition.

It emerged that the Spanish Foreign Ministry, which had originally confirmed the measure to Port officials, has ordered the previous status quo to return. London indicated on Thursday that the test would be whether the next vessel is allowed to sail to a Spanish port.

Agreement appears to have been reached during the talks held in London between Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. The two officials together with British and Spanish officials met over lunch Thursday at Carlton Gardens, Mr Straw's official residence in London.

The meeting, which lasted some 30 minutes longer than scheduled, focused on a range of foreign policy issues including Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Euro-Med and the Barcelona conference. At a news conference immediately after the talks, neither side mentioned Gibraltar as being on the agenda but it was the first subject raised by journalists during the question and answer session.

Asked about the "chaos" resulting from the ongoing row over cruise ships being denied permission to dock in Spanish ports after calling at Gibraltar, Mr. Moratinos dismissed the question with a smile saying "there is no chaos between the two governments over this issue. I haven't seen any chaos. I'm sure a satisfactory solution can be found".

But Foreign Secretary Straw responded "I spelt out to the Minister that the disruption is completely unacceptable and I'm glad he's said he believes a solution can be found." Despite their evident unease the ministers were once again pressed, "Is the matter going to be solved, is anything happening?" "I hope so," replied Mr. Moratinos and Jack Straw cut to the chase: "the solution is for the disruption to end."

So far eight cruise ships are reported to have been affected by the three weeks Spanish ports ban on cruises calling previously in Gibraltar.

Britain has made clear it regards the boycott illegal under European law, and has not ruled out legal action as a last resort.

Also present at the talks were Dr Denis MacShane, the new senior diplomat tasked with Gibraltar issues, Jose Pons and PSOE Gibraltar expert Rafael Estrella Deputy for Granada.

Regarding the Brussels process the Spanish Foreign Minister told journalists that no date had been fixed for the next round and nothing had been formally established, but the two governments were keen to resume negotiations. He also denied that he was disappointed at having come away without a fixed date for the resumption of talks under the Brussels process.

"We have agreed to carry on talking in a constructive atmosphere."

Asked by a Spanish journalist whether Mr Straw's joint sovereignty proposals would still form a basis for those talks Mr. Moratinos replied "we haven't touched upon the issue of joint sovereignty." The Foreign Secretary added that he'd reiterated the British Government's position "in terms that everybody fully understands" ie that there can be no changes in the status of Gibraltar without the consent of the people of Gibraltar "as measured by a referendum of the people there."