**Spain’s foreign minister is to meet UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband in an historic visit to Gibraltar.**Miguel Angel Moratinos will travel to the British-held peninsula on Tuesday for talks with Mr Miliband and chief minister of Gibraltar, Peter Caruana.
It will be the first time a Spanish minister has been to the disputed territory for more than 300 years.
The UK insists it will not hand over Gibraltar against residents’ wishes despite Spanish sovereignty claims.
Border closed
The talks, officially called a “trilateral forum of dialogue”, were confirmed despite a new row over Gibraltar’s territorial waters.
The Gibraltar government opposed a reported move by Spain to use a European Commission environmental directive to officially denote the surrounding seas as Spanish.
The Self-determination for Gibraltar group has called on Gibraltarians to fly union jacks during the Spanish minister’s visit.
Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain in 1704 but has long said it should return to Spanish sovereignty.
The border between Spain and Gibraltar was closed by Spanish dictator General Franco in 1969 and did not fully reopen until 1985.