MADRID, July 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Spain said Wednesday that it summoned the British ambassador to Madrid again to lodge a protest against a planned visit to Gibraltar by a British nuclear submarine, HMS Tireless, which London has refused to cancel.

    Spain is "deeply upset" by Britain's refusal to cancel the coming stopover of the nuclear submarine HMS Tireless in Gibraltar, a territory disputed by the two countries, the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement.

    The British attitude will mark a "negative point" in the bilateral relations, Spanish Secretary of Foreign Affairs Bernardino Leon told British ambassador Stephen Wright at their meeting.

    Leon expressed "uneasiness of the government" about the British side's decision, which indicates a "lack of British sensitivity towards the Spanish public opinion."

    The status of Gibraltar, a British colony occupying a rocky outcrop attached to the tip of southern Spain, has been a subject of contention between the two countries for decades.

    The Tireless, which London said to dock off Gibraltar on Friday, has caused friction in the past as the boat was moored at Gibraltar for almost a year in 2000-2001 after its nuclear reactor broke down.

    According to the Spanish foreign ministry's statement, Leonre quested that the planned submarine's layover "be as brief as possible" and under "all possible technical security guarantees.

   "Spaniards living in areas bordering Gibraltar are afraid of a possible radioactive leak from the submarine during its stay. In Wednesday's statement, the foreign ministry also said the government "wishes to maintain the best cooperation relations with the British government," while noting that the scheduled layover of the submarine "will mark a negative point in the good bilateral relations" of the two European countries.

    The British embassy confirmed the arrival of the Tireless, saying it was making a short routine visit and insisting that the boat met all required safety standards.

    Wright was summoned to the foreign ministry two weeks ago to hear a protest against the visit of Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, to Gibraltar to mark the 300th anniversary of British sovereignty over the Rock.

    Spain ceded the territory of Gibraltar to Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 and has kept its efforts to win it back eversince. Enditem