The Spanish Foreign Minister Ms Ana Palacio said today no timetable had been set for reaching a deal with Britain on plans to share sovereignty over Gibraltar.
Ms Palacio said only she was seeking to wrap up "as soon as possible" talks to end their centuries-old differences over Gibraltar.
The two countries began talks on the status of the rock in July of last year, and Ms Palacio is due to informally meet British counterpart Mr Jack Straw on August 30th on the sidelines of an informal European Union conference in Copenhagen.
In July, Mr Straw said the two countries were close to reaching a permanent joint sovereignty deal on Gibraltar, which Spain handed over to Britain under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.
But London and Madrid remain at odds over access to the British military base, which occupies some 40 per cent of the territory, and the duration of a shared sovereignty agreement.
AFP