Marseille - The Spanish port city of Barcelona is to be the seat of the headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean, diplomatic sources said Tuesday in the French city of Marseille.

Agreement on what had been a bone of contention among the 40-plus members of the union was reached overnight during a meeting of foreign ministers from European Union members and their counterparts from Mediterranean states.

The decision to place the group's secretariat in Barcelona is in reference to the original EU Mediterranean initiative on which the Union for the Mediterranean was based, the Barcelona Process.

It is widely believed that the headquarters will be housed in the 17th-century Palace of Pedralbes, on whose grounds is a fountain created by the legendary Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi.

The ticklish question of representation of the Arab League in the union has also been largely resolved, although details were not immediately made public.

Further discussions about the structure and projects of the Union for the Mediterranean, which was founded in July in Paris, will be held later Tuesday in Marseille. (dpa)