Spain Gives Britain 'Assurances' in Gibraltar Bag Row

Britain said Wednesday it has received assurances from Spain that there will be no repeat of an incident in Gibraltar where Spanish officials searched British diplomatic bags.

The British embassy in Madrid lodged a formal protest with the Spanish government on Monday following what it described as a "serious infringement" of diplomatic protocol.

"We requested an urgent explanation of this incident from the Spanish government and sought assurances that there will be no further interference with the UK's official correspondence," Europe minister David Lidington said.

"We have now received that explanation from the Spanish and have been assured that we will not see a repeat of these actions."

The incident on the Spain-Gibraltar border on Friday is the latest flare-up between London and Madrid over the British-held territory in recent months.

A diplomatic source in Spain told Agence France Presse that bags "did not fulfil the requirements" to be considered as diplomatic.

But Lidington said in a written statement to parliament: "Two UK government bags containing official correspondence and communications, and clearly marked as such, were opened by Spanish officials, whilst the bags were in transit.

"This represents a serious interference with the official correspondence and property of Her Majesty's government, and therefore a breach of both the principles underlying the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the principle of state immunity."