Spanish socialist supports Kerry

[Matt]

Finally a foreign endorsement and by a fellow socialist!

http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Mar/03182004/nation_w/148969.asp

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
By Keith B. Richburg
The Washington Post

MADRID -- Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Wednesday described the U.S. occupation of Iraq as "a fiasco" and suggested American voters should follow the example set by Spain and change their leadership by supporting Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry in November.
"I said during the campaign I hoped Spain and the Spaniards would be ahead of the Americans for once," Zapatero said in an interview on Onda Cero radio. "First we win here, we change this government, and then the Americans will do it, if things continue as they are in Kerry's favor."
Zapatero, whose Socialist Party swept the governing Popular Party out of office in elections Sunday that came just three days after terrorist attacks killed 201 people in Madrid, also rejected President Bush's request that he reconsider his plans to withdraw Spain's troops from Iraq unless the United Nations is given control of the country. Kerry also asked Zapatero to reconsider the move.
"I'll listen to Mr. Bush. But my position is very clear and firm," Zapatero said.
"The occupation is a fiasco. There have almost been more killed after the war, from a year ago, than during the war. In the end, the occupying forces have not handed over control of the situation to the U.N."
Spanish troops constitute 1 percent of the U.S.-led occupation force in Iraq, and other nations participating in the coalition have rushed to reaffirm their willingness to remain in Iraq. But a Spanish pullout could hamper U.S. attempts to encourage other nations to send troops. Diplomats said the new Spanish government's position would make it more difficult for the Bush administration to convince NATO to take a stronger role in Iraq after the planned June 30 handover of sovereignty.
The Spanish force currently in Iraq is to come home in April, and a replacement contingent had its farewell ceremony Wednesday at a Spanish base. Officials said no decision had been made to delay or cancel the transfer. Zapatero said he looked forward to "a profound debate" with the Bush administration about how to effectively combat terrorism. "Fighting terrorism with bombs, with Tomahawk missiles, isn't the way to beat terrorism, but the way to generate more radicalism," he said.
Zapatero's implicit endorsement of Kerry's campaign was a surprising public repudiation of a sitting U.S. president by the incoming leader of an allied country and fellow NATO member.
Members of Spain's Popular Party -- which will become the opposition when Zapatero, a 43-year-old lawyer, takes office next month -- immediately criticized Zapatero's remarks, saying they demonstrated his inexperience in diplomacy.
"That was extremely uncareful," said Gustavo de Aristegui, a Popular Party member of Parliament who is expected to become the opposition's spokesman on foreign affairs.
The outgoing prime minister from the Popular Party, Jose Maria Aznar, was one of the Bush administration's most steadfast allies in Europe

[Rspaight]

Despite the name, Spain's Socialist Party is a mainstream center-left party:

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. It is a social democratic party, a member of the Socialist International.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in a meeting in San Sebastián
It was founded on 1879 by the historical worker leader Pablo Iglesias. The PSOE formed the Government during the second Spanish Republic (1931-1936) and as part of the Spanish Popular Front ("Frente Popular"), elected to government in 1936. During the Spanish Civil War, it divided into two wings: the left, revolutionary, and Marxist wing, led by Francisco Largo Caballero, and the right, reformist wing, led by Indalecio Prieto and Julian Besteiro.

During the dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939-1975) the PSOE was illegal and it was persecuted. Many of their leaders and militants were assassinated, imprisoned or they went to France, the United States, or Mexico. In the first democratic elections (1977), it arose as the second party of Spain, with 30% of the votes. In 1979 it obtained similars results. From 1974, its general secretary was Felipe González, who moved the party away from its Marxist and socialist path, turning the PSOE into a social-democratic party, similar to those of the rest of western Europe. To this end, he banned the Marxist wing, directed by the Trotskyist newspaper New Clarity, similar to the British Socialist Appeal (former Militant).

In 1982, the PSOE won an historic electoral victory, with more than 10,000,000 votes (48%). Felipe González became Prime minister, a position that he occupied from 1982 to 1996. In spite of its appearance as a leftist party, with a progressive program, the PSOE made a policy of social reforms combined with a liberal and capìtalist economic policy. In addition, it was favorable to the entrance of Spain in NATO (1986) and supported the United States in the Gulf War (1991). The PSOE won 1986, 1989 and 1993 elections.

An economic crisis, scandals of corruption and state terrorism against the Basque violent separatist group ETA eroded the popularity of Felipe González, and in 1996, the PSOE lost the elections to the conservative Partido Popular ("Popular Party") (PP). Between 1996 and 2001 the PSOE weathered a crisis, suffering a hard defeat in 2000 (34.7%), after agreeing with Izquierda Unida ("United Left") (IU).

In 2001, a new general secretary, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, was elected, replacing Felipe González, and renewing the party. Later, the PSOE won the municipal elections of 2003.

In 2004, the PSOE won the Spanish legislative elections with almost 43% of the votes, following the 11-M terrorist attacks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSOE

Ryan

[Rspaight]

So, Spain and Honduras are out of this little adventure, and now we hear Poland is keeping its troops in but at the same time is quite unhappy about being used and lied to.

Sounds like the "coalition of the willing" is shrinking. Whither Micronesia?

Poland 'taken for a ride' over Iraq's weapons of mass destruction: president

1 hour, 37 minutes ago Add Mideast - AFP to My Yahoo!

WARSAW (AFP) - In a first sign of official criticism in Poland of the US-led invasion of Iraq (news - web sites), President Aleksander Kwasniewski said that his country had been "taken for a ride" about the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction in the strife-torn country.

"That they deceived us about the weapons of mass destruction, that's true. We were taken for a ride," Kwasniewski said Thursday.

He argued however that it made no sense to pull US-led coalition troops out of Iraq.

His comments marked the first time Poland has publicly criticized Washington's argument for invading Iraq and for winning support from Poland and other European allies such as Britain and Spain.

Poland heads up a 9,000-strong multinational force patrolling a swathe of Iraq south of Baghdad.

Warsaw itself has the fourth-largest contingent in the coalition, with around 2,500 soldiers.

Kwasniewski was speaking days after the prime minister-elect of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, said Madrid would withdraw its 1,300 soldiers from the Polish-led contingent by June 30, unless the United Nations (news - web sites) took over administration of Iraq.

The Polish head of state questioned the wisdom of pulling foreign troops from the strife-torn country saying such a move could have a counter effect.

"What would be the point of pulling the troops if it meant a return to war, ethnic cleansing and conflict in neighboring countries," he told a group of visiting French journalists.

"If we protest against the United States' dominant role in world politics and we withdraw our troops knowing they will be replaced by US soldiers, what would be the point of such a move?" he questioned.

He said he was disappointed by the new Spanish government's threat to withdraw its 1,300 soldiers.

"We cannot alter our mission to stabilize Iraq to one to destabilize the country," he said.

"Passiveness will lead us nowhere," he added.

[Matt]

Poland "Taken for a ride" and now "Misled"....

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040318/ap_on_re_eu/poland_iraq&cid=518&ncid=1480

Poland 'Misled' on Iraq, President Says

WARSAW, Poland - Poland, which has about 2,400 troops in Iraq (news - web sites), was "misled" about the threat from Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s weapons of mass destruction, its president said Thursday.

The remarks by President Aleksander Kwasniewski were his first hint of such criticism directed at the United States and Britain, although he mentioned no country by name.

"I personally think that today, Iraq without Saddam Hussein is a truly better Iraq than with Saddam Hussein," Kwasniewski told a small group of European reporters.

"But naturally I also feel uncomfortable due to the fact that we were misled with the information on weapons of mass destruction," he said.

A transcript of Kwasniewski's remarks were released by his press office.

On Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriquez said he will stick by his decision to pull 1,300 Spanish troops out of Iraq unless the United Nations (news - web sites) takes control of peacekeeping.