Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Spanish socialists favor withdrawing troops from Iraq
The Spanish Socialist Party that won Sunday's general polls might bring in a mayor shift in the Spain's foreign policies for they seriously consider withdrawing the troops stationed in Iraq, local press reports said.
The Spanish Socialist Party that won Sunday's general polls might bring in a mayor shift in the Spain's foreign policies for they seriously consider withdrawing the troops stationed in Iraq, local press reports said.
Just as was announced in the campaign, the socialist chief and most probable head of the Spanish government, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, stated Monday that the troops deployed in Iraq would return next June if the United Nations did not take control of the country's situation.
Rodriguez Zapatero, who led the opposition against the Spanish contribution to the United States-United Kingdom-sponsored invasion of Iraq, underlined in his first speech that "the military intervention was a mistake."
The support given to the invasion by the Popular Party government chaired by Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar brought about Spain's estrangement from the two "great" countries of the European Union, France and Germany, for they opposed the intervention.
On this issue Rodriguez Zapatero told a Spanish broadcaster he meant to seek a consensus to advance in the adoption of an European constitution.
When presenting to the press the outlines of his future government, he stated Spain would be as from now "more pro-European than ever," would "come back to terms with Europe" and recover "some magnificent relations" with France and Germany.