Relaties Verenigd Koninkrijk-Spanje onder druk door Gibraltar (en)

As the people living on the tiny rock of Gibraltar prepare to celebrate 300 years of British rule, relations between the UK and Spain are once again being dragged down by the disputed territory.

UK defence secretary Geoff Hoon will attend the celebrations, which will include a military parade of 300 personnel.

The parade is expected to be greeted enthusiastically by the 30,000 people living on the 'rock' - as it is affectionately known - but has caused a storm in Madrid.

The tiny territory has been a thorn in the side of UK-Spanish relations since it was seized by the British in 1704.

Profound disappointment

Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos has registered Spain's "profound disappointment" at Mr Hoon's appearance.

And he wrote in El Pais, "It is very strange that, in the European Union of the 21st century, one member state should be celebrating the military occupation of part of another member state".

He added, "This commemoration of a past military event weakens the relationships with Spain", accusing the British government of "a clear lack of sensitivity".

The UK responded that it has a "good relationship" with Madrid, according to the BBC.

And Gibraltar's chief minister Peter Caruana accused the Spanish of being obsessed with the issue, saying, "How we choose to celebrate our very close links with Britain and our British sovereignty is a matter for us".

But Spain feels it is inappropriate to celebrate former colonialism in this fashion and points to the decision made by the US to remove a frigate from the celebrations. The US said they did not want to be "perceived as upsetting sensibilities".

Long history of spats

The long-running dispute has flared up in recent months. A visit by Princess Anne - the Queen's daughter - to the rock sparked outrage in Spain whose prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also described a visit by a British nuclear submarine to the territory as the most displeasing incident of his first 100 days in office.

The two countries were involved in negotiations to share sovereignty over the rock, but these collapsed following an unofficial referendum in which 99 percent of the people said they would prefer to remain under British rule.

Spain would like to restart negotiations but London believes the people have made their views clear and is unwilling to go against the wishes of the population.

Shifting plates?

Although the dispute may appear minor, it may also signal a move away from the UK-Spanish axis that emerged during the premiership of José Maria Aznar.

The two nations stood "shoulder-to-shoulder" on the Iraq issue and were perceived by some to act as a counterweight to the traditional Franco-German partnership at the heart of the EU.

But Mr Zapetero has already made it clear that he would like to see Spain moving more towards France and Germany.

He recently said in an interview with French daily Le Monde, "France and Germany are the two decisive countries for the European construction and Spain should be there".