Britain, Spain in cruise ship dispute

LONDON, May 20 (UPI) -- Britain's foreign secretary says that Spain's banning of cruise ships that have docked in Gibraltar is illegal.

Jack Straw discussed the issue during talks with Spain's foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, in London.

"I spelled out to the minister that we regard the disruption to the cruise ships as unacceptable," Straw told the BBC.

Spain and the United Kingdom have long been involved in a dispute over Gibraltar's status. Officials in Gibraltar say that ships that visit there have been barred from docking in Spanish ports recently.

British officials charge that the newly elected government in Spain is trying to destroy Gibraltar's economy.