|
Muslims, Vatican Protest Annan's Gay Benefits Policy
 |
|
We must rally to put an end to conflicts that feed anger and frustration among peoples,” Chirac (R) said.
|
MADRID,
March 17 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Spain's Prime
Minister-elect, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, on Wednesday, March 17,
rejected an appeal by U.S. President George W. Bush to keep Spanish
troops in Iraq to head off a spate of possible defections from the
U.S.-led “coalition”.
“I
will listen to Mr. Bush but my position is very clear and very
firm,” he told radio station Onda Cero. “The occupation is a
fiasco.”
Zapatero,
who is to formally take power at the end of April 2004, said he would
consult the U.S., Britain and other allies “with prudence and
responsibility” and expected them to respect his government's
decisions, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The
43-year-old socialist leader also said that the war on terrorism
cannot be won by wars and bloodshed, but rather by the international
legitimacy.
“Fighting
terrorism with bombs and Tomahawk missiles is not a way to win but
will instead provoke more extremism. Terrorism is fought with the rule
of law, international law, and with intelligence services,” he
insisted.
Zapatero
said on Monday, the day after his Socialist Party dealt
a surprise election defeat to the pro-U.S. Popular
Party, that he would honor his campaign promise to pull Spain's 1,300
troops out of Iraq unless a United Nations force took over there.
The
president of Honduras, Ricardo Maduro, followed Tuesday, March 16, the
Spanish lead, saying his country's 370 troops in Iraq “will return
in July”, when their current tour of duty is up.
Bush
reacted with an impassioned appeal on Tuesday, March 16, to
U.S.
allies to keep troops in
Iraq
and offered to seek a new U.N. resolution that would enable Spanish
forces to stay.
Most
U.S.
allies said after Zapatero's bombshell that they would keep their
forces in
Iraq
, but many have electorates opposed to the war.
Britain
’s Pew Global Attitudes Project survey found Tuesday that British
public support for the war in
Iraq
has dropped to 43%, from 61% last May at the end of that war to occupy
Iraq
.
Analysts
said If Zapatero translated his threats into action, the
U.S.
could
no longer use their presence as evidence of
international support for the occupation of
Iraq
.
The
Spanish press on Wednesday urged Zapatero to work with “his natural
partners”
France
and
Germany
to ensure the United Nations took a leading role in
Iraq
as soon as possible.
“If
he doesn't succeed, Zapatero must keep his word and withdraw the
troops. He can't start his mandate by breaking one of his most
repeated promises,” mass-circulation El Pais said.
France
and
Germany
, which like Zapatero oppose the U.S.-led war on
Iraq
, are permanent members of the Security Council.
Spain
currently has a seat on the 15-nation body.
French-German
Support
 |
|
“I will listen to Mr. Bush but my position is very clear and very firm,” said Zapatero (AFP)
|
Zapatero’s
views are supported by French President Jacques Chirac and German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who pledged to improve relations with
Madrid
, which were strained by the PP's unflinching support for the
U.S.
war.
“We
must rally to put an end to conflicts that feed anger and frustration
among peoples,” Chirac said at a joint press conference with
Schroeder on Tuesday, in a veiled reference to the U.S.-led occupation
of
Iraq
.
Schroeder
agreed: “Terrorism can not only be fought with arms and police. We
must also combat the roots of terrorism.”
Both
leaders also called for increased international cooperation to combat
terrorism.
“We
must not only be vigilant inside our own societies ... (we must also)
reinforce European and transatlantic cooperation in police and
security services,” Schroeder said after three hours of talks at the
Elysee palace.
“We
must be vigilant. The government and all our services are mobilized.
They are working in close liaison with our partners," Chirac
said.
“With
them we are going to reinforce the European action plan against
terrorism. We are going to further improve coordination between our
intelligence and police services as well as our justice systems,” he
said.
Both
Schroeder and Chirac said it was premature to talk of an E.U.
intelligence agency equivalent to the U.S. Central Intelligence
Agency.
They
also seized the press conference to offer their heartfelt condolences
to Zapatero over last
Thursday's bombings of crowded Madrid commuter trains
that killed 201 people and wounded 1,500.
International
terrorism will be the main subject of a European summit in
Brussels
on March 25 and 26, as well as of an emergency interior ministers'
meeting planned for Friday.
Terror
Panic
Meanwhile,
the
Madrid
blasts sent shockwaves through
U.S.
allies in the occupation of
Iraq
, fearing that they have become prime targets of terrorist attacks.
Australia
said it has allocated $300 million to enhance its frontline
intelligence agencies and intends to launch next Monday, March 22, its
largest ever counter-terrorism exercise to test new defenses against
chemical and biological attack.
Acting
South Korean President Goh Kun put his country Wednesday on high alert
against possible terrorist attack, saying the country was among the
main targets for attacks following the
Madrid
bombings.
“Those
countries which have their troops stationed in
Iraq
have become main targets for terrorist attacks.
South Korea
, in some respects, is a country that should be on a high state of
alert against terrorism,” spokesman Kim Duck-Bong quoted Goh as
saying.
South Korea
plans to send 3,000 troops to take control of rehabilitation efforts
in
Iraq
's
northern province
of
Kirkuk
next month.
The
top police officer in
Britain
has also warned of the “inevitability” of an attack on the
country,
Washington
's most steadfast ally in
Iraq
.
Sir
John Stevens said that not only were the rail and subway systems
potential targets but also buses, nightclubs, pubs and roads.
“There
is a need for everyone to be alert,” he said.
Japan
,
which has also sent troops to
Iraq
,
said it would double the number of officers deployed at major railway
stations in
Tokyo
to 450 as part of measures to boost
|
