Posted on 03/17/2004 11:10:02 AM PST by AntiGuv
MADRID, Spain - Spain's new leader intensified his criticism of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq on Wednesday, saying it was "turning into a fiasco."
Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also refused to reconsider his pledge to pull his 1,300 troops out of Iraq by June 30, in a sharp break with the Bush administration.
Zapatero had signaled his dislike of President Bush's policies during the Spanish election campaign when he said he hoped Democratic challenger John Kerry would win in November.
The International Herald Tribune recently quoted Zapatero as saying, "We're aligning ourselves with Kerry. Our allegiance will be for peace, against war, no more deaths for oil, and for a dialogue between the government of Spain and the new Kerry administration."
In the hourlong interview Wednesday on Onda Cero radio, Zapatero said that "fighting terrorism with bombs ... with Tomahawk missiles, isn't the way to defeat terrorism. ...
"Terrorism is combatted by the state of law. ... That's what I think Europe and the international community have to debate," he said.
Zapatero said the Iraq occupation "is turning into a fiasco," noting that "there have been almost more deaths since the end of the war" than during last year's U.S.-led invasion, and the United Nations still is not in control.
The outgoing conservative government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar supported the war against the wishes of the majority of Spaniards. Spanish troops did not fight in the invasion but were sent in afterward.
"I'll explain to our allies, which include the United States, of course, and Britain ... what my position is," Zapatero said.
About how he might respond if Bush asked him to reconsider, Zapatero said, "I will listen to Mr. Bush, but my position is very clear and very firm."
About 5,000 pro-Aznar demonstrators gathered outside the conservative Popular Party's headquarters in downtown Madrid, deriding Zapatero as "the president of al-Qaida." They dispersed about 30 minutes after the party's defeated candidate, Mariano Rajoy, appeared and applauded at a balcony.
In the interview, Zapatero also said he would better coordinate Spain's police agencies, which failed to prevent last week's Madrid train bombings that killed 201 people. Authorities knew the whereabouts and potential danger of a top suspect and his alleged links with al-Qaida.
He tried to reassure Spaniards that his government would relentlessly hunt down terrorists.
"They will not have a moment of rest," Zapatero said, adding that he would have a single director for both the Civil Guard and the National Police, which currently answer to two chiefs.
The Spanish government, meanwhile, said a judge has imposed a secrecy order on the police investigation into the attacks, apparently to avoid compromising the hunt for suspects.
Interior Minister Angel Acebes insisted progress was being made, adding that investigators were still combing for clues, including from a videotape in which a purported al-Qaida spokesman claimed responsibility.
European and U.S. police and intelligence agencies are helping the inquiry — cooperation that is "not only necessary but absolutely indispensable," Acebes said at a news conference.
Jamal Zougam, a Moroccan phone salesman who was arrested two days after the bombings, is emerging as the key suspect. Spanish law enforcement agencies had been aware of his alleged links to al-Qaida since at least 2001, when they searched his apartment.
Moroccan authorities, who considered Zougam a "very active terrorist," warned Spanish police in 2003 that he was returning to Spain, the Barcelona daily El Periodico reported.
But Acebes said that to his knowledge, there was no arrest warrant for Zougam before March 11.
Police were interrogating two other Moroccans, including Zougam's half brother, and two Indian men also arrested Saturday.
The daily El Pais reported that police also suspect that five other Moroccans, who were still at large, took direct part in the train bombings.
Authorities increasingly suspect an al-Qaida-linked cell carried out the bombings.
Police believe the two Indians were involved in the sale of cell phones or prepaid phone cards used to detonate the string of bombs, according to Spanish media.
El Pais reported Wednesday that the fingerprints of one of the Indians, Vinay Kohly, matches one found at the scene of a 2001 killing in Madrid.
Police investigating the killing of Indian shop owner Kamal Karamchan Dad in his electronics shop found the fingerprint on tape that was used to bind the victim's hands and feet. He was asphyxiated with a plastic bag during an apparent robbery.
The fingerprint did not match any database until Kohly's prints were run after his arrest Saturday, El Pais said.
Zougam has already been identified in court documents as a follower of Imad Yarkas, the alleged leader of Spain's al-Qaida cell who is jailed on suspicion he helped plan the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Also Wednesday, an Algerian who in January allegedly threatened mass bloodshed in the Spanish capital was brought under tight security to a Madrid court to determine if he knew of the attack beforehand.
Bomb-sniffing dogs, Civil Guards and national police guarded the building as Ali Amrous was rushed inside in a vehicle.
When Amrous, an apparent indigent and illegal resident, was first arrested in January in the northern city of San Sebastian after a neighborhood disturbance, he shouted at officers: "We will fill Madrid with the dead," police said.
After questioning Amrous, anti-terror Judge Baltasar Garzon extended his detention for another 48 hours.
Time to start calling this guy "Moon Unit Zapatero"...he's gonna stop terror with big words, nasty laws and a mean grimace...oooo I can see them shaking in their turbans
Uh Senor Zapetero, terrorists and criminals don't follow the law.
Whew this guy is a soft on crime liberal.
Spanish military fatalities since November: 1 (one)
After questioning Amrous, anti-terror Judge Baltasar Garzon extended his detention for another 48 hours.
This is the same judge who had Pinochet arrested for killing Spanish citizens. Looks like he is pretty tough on ETA too. Maybe not too tough on AQ though.
http://www.lakota.clara.net/Library/garzon.html
Heck, the old Soviet Emperors and Castro didn't intervene in elections, openly, and sent diplomatically-correct congratulations.
It's beyond liberal/conservative. These are major power plays.
Thing is, I suspect Chirac will treat him with only moderate support. Zapatero doesn't understand Spain's role in the EU is to subsidize French deficits.
He is under the wrong assumption that France/TotalFinaElf is going to cut him in on the deals.
And they sure do!
What an ass. I hope the people of Spain have a recall process before terrorists set up camp inside their government. I predict violence in Spain on a scale that boggles the mind in about six months.
Wow, I wish we would be as tough on these guys as the Spanish!
Whereas the occupation of SPAIN by TERRORISTS is going nicely.
SO THERE WAS TERRORISM IN SPAIN BEFORE THE IRAQ WAR!!!!!
people, let us not forget about why we invaded both Afghanistan and Iraq....we were bombed repeatedly in the 90's....cuminating in the take down of the Twin Towers....
let's not forget who started this war on terror either.....
anybody remember Iraq invading Kuwait....???/
The people of Spain are going to have some real nightmares. It's in a way a good model though for gleaning information however. Very interesting for analysts. I bet we can get a lot of good intel by good spying methods.
I feel for you, Spain, but you got yourself into this mess by electing this turd, so good luck to you in your slow sinking into irrelevancy.
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