posted on April 19, 2004 12:24:07 PM new
WASHINGTON - President Bush scolded Spain's new prime minister Monday for his abrupt withdrawal of troops from Iraq and told him to avoid actions that give "false comfort to terrorists or enemies of freedom in Iraq."
No country stepped forward immediately to take the place of Spain, which ranked sixth in contributing troops, and U.S. officials braced for a withdrawal of troops from Honduras, as well.
"Honduras was affected by the decision of Spain," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. El Salvador and Nicaragua, the two other Central American countries with peacekeeping troops in Iraq, are holding fast, the spokesman said.
Bush expressed unhappiness about Spain's projected withdrawal in a five-minute telephone call with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who on Sunday ordered the 1,300 troops to return home as soon as possible.
Zapatero placed the call to Bush and the president "expressed his regret to President Zapatero about the decision to abruptly announce the pullout of Spanish troops from Iraq," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
"The president urged that the Spanish withdrawal take place in a coordinated manner that does not put at risk other coalition forces in Iraq," McClellan said.
"The president stressed the importance of carefully considering future actions to avoid giving false comfort to terrorists or enemies of freedom in Iraq," McClellan said.
The new Spanish foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, is due to meet in Washington on Wednesday with Secretary of State Colin Powell and other administration officials.
Boucher, taking a slap at Madrid, said "we were surprised a little bit by the abruptness" of the announcement. However, he said the United States recognized the right of the new Socialist government to respond to public wishes and to carry out a campaign pledge.
Honduran Foreign Minister Leonidas Rosa Bautistas, whose country's troops serve in a Spanish-led unit, said Monday that President Ricardo Maduro "has ordered an urgent evaluation of the situation in Iraq."
"The government and armed forces are making the evaluation with the maximum security and in the shortest time possible," he said.
Sen. John Kerry ), the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, also deplored Spain's move.
"I regret Prime Minister Zapateros decision," Kerry said. "Spain and all the world have an interest in rebuilding an Iraq that is not a haven for terrorists and a failed state. I had hoped the prime minister would have reconsidered his position, and I hope that in the days ahead the United States and the world can work with him to find a way to keep Spain engaged in the efforts in Iraq."
"Rather than losing partners, I believe its critical that we find new coalition partners to share the burden in Iraq," Kerry said. "We need to offer to share responsibilities with the United Nations , NATO (news - web sites) and others, so they will work with us in Iraq to achieve security, stability, and freedom."
Zapatero issued the recall on Sunday just hours after his government was sworn in. He said there was no sign the United States would meet his demand for United Nations control of the postwar occupation his ultimatum for keeping troops there.
Zapatero's Socialist party won the March 14 general election amid allegations that outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, by backing the war in Iraq, had provoked commuter-train terrorist bombings that killed 191 people three days before the vote.
Though Zapatero, a 43-year-old lawyer and career politician, had promised to remove Spanish troops, his immediate action was a setback for the United States, which has been eager to portray the effort in Iraq as an international cause even though it is dominated by its 130,000 American troops.
McClellan refused to characterize the tone of the two leaders' exchange, but Bush's words were unusually sharp by any standard.
Asked if the discussion was chilly or businesslike, McClellan said, "No, look, I think we've made it very clear we'll continue to work with Spain in the war on terrorism. Obviously the president expressed his regret at the abrupt decision to withdraw. But the coalition in Iraq is strong. We appreciate recent statements by many of the coalition nations expressing their solidarity and resolve."
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on April 19, 2004 12:28:31 PM new
Who the hell does this president think he is that he alls and scolds a world leader for actually carring out a campaign promise?
The people of Spain do not wNant their troops in Iraq and he listened and is acting and we have the gaul to scold him for it?
And we wonder why the world thinks we are arrogant.
BTW - before you cut paste and go bold crazy Linda - I do see that Kerry also disagrees and quite frankly that pisses me off too.
By all means you can say that you disagree with the actions but I think there is a certain degree of respect that should be shown to a leader that actually listens to the will of his people and upholds the principles on which he was elected.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
[ edited by fenix03 on Apr 19, 2004 12:29 PM ]
posted on April 19, 2004 02:12:29 PM new
Yes, because the message that we want to send to the world is:
We encourage and hope to spread democracy across this planet... but only those that ignore the will of their people and do what we say.
That's definitely the message we should be sending as we attemp to calm the arab pennisula and bring democracy to Iraq.
Twelve, Twelve, Twelve. I try so hard to teach you these things and then you say something like that......
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
[ edited by fenix03 on Apr 19, 2004 02:14 PM ]
posted on April 19, 2004 02:18:36 PM new
And let's not forget the example of the Patriotic Act. It is a beacon to every dictator and police state in the world.
I agree with you here. We do not own the world and therefore have no right to tell another country what to do. I fear Spain is only the beginning. One-by-one, the countries that are there will leave realizing it's fruitless. Bush and company already have dibs on the oil.
posted on April 20, 2004 03:16:22 AM new
$1.6 Billion in 2002, $1 is too much in my opinion
Oh and considering we have a base in Spain, I am sure there are many US dollars going out... restricting the men to base for a month or two will have La Paloma screaming to their government...
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
http://www.nogaymarriage.com/
[ edited by Twelvepole on Apr 20, 2004 03:48 AM ]
posted on April 20, 2004 04:53:12 AM new
Thanks for that figure. Do you or anyone else have a link to any information on aid amounts given to various countries? I've never seen one and don't have time to go look right now...it's lambing/kidding season and I've just barely got time to sit down for a minute now and then.
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posted on April 20, 2004 06:14:02 AM new
Our bases not withstanding, it doesn't look like $$ is a very big stick where Spain is concerned. They've repaid us far more in the last few years than we've given them. Maybe we'll have to reclassify them as an enemy country and invade.
ed...thanks for the links helen...
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[ edited by profe51 on Apr 20, 2004 06:15 AM ]
posted on April 20, 2004 06:31:39 AM new
After looking at the site I used, it appears they get their money from the UN, so not directly from the US, however we are MAJOR contributors of that fund and we need to put a stop to that...
posted on April 20, 2004 07:05:58 AM new
Actually, Secretary-General Kofi Annan states that Spain is now providing help to others.
"Spain, for its part, has an asset of tremendous value: the knowledge of the great distance that can be traveled when a people and its partners put their minds to it. It was not so long ago, less than a century, that impoverishment was the daily lot of most people in Spain. It was even more recently that oppression and the aftermath of war hindered Spains efforts to develop. As Prime Minister Aznar pointed out in Monterrey, 20 years ago, Spain received Overseas Development Assistance; today, it provides aid to others."
posted on April 20, 2004 07:38:34 AM new
What I find interesting is that, when you google "foreign aid" the only thing you get for several pages is---Israel. Even when you type is "Spain foreign aid" the only thing you get for several pages is---Israel. Further research shows that we only give 1% of our budget in foreign aid and that the lion's share of that foreign aid goes to---Israel.
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Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
posted on April 20, 2004 04:11:28 PM new
Spain receives no direct moneys in aid from the US. None, zero, nada. This has been the case for several years, at least.
Quitting the UN because of who they choose to give aid to is a separate issue, and not without some merit.
The fact is, like I said, our bases not withstanding, we can't threaten Spain economically with much ease. In fact, they could choose to default on the loans they have been repaying in a timely fashion to us for some years.
