Spain Pulling Troops from Iraq NOW ...

[Gatekeeper]

Everyone:

It's breaking news on the wires. Apparently the announcement came mere hours after the new Socialist government was inaugurated.

The only question remains is this: Will Spain keep its contiginent in Afghanistan, or will the Socialist government pull them out as well, per demands from groups linked to al-Qaida?

Gatekeeper

[DinoDoc]

Eh? I thought they were going to do that July 1st.

[Dis]

I doubt they will withdraw from Afghanistan. That was not a campaign promise. Although if they recieve public pressure to do so, they might.

[Giancarlo]

I thought they were doing that on June 30th? They lied to the international community, and I hope they will receive diplomatic punishment for that like having any business contracts they have in Afghanistan or Iraq voided. ****ing liars. They will lose the next election.

[Gangerolf]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3637523.stm

Mr Zapatero said he had ordered the defence minister to "do what is necessary for the Spanish troops stationed in Iraq return home in the shortest time possible".

[Harry Tuttle]

[Gatekeeper]

Here's what the AP has so far:

Spanish Leader Pulls Troops From Iraq

By DANIEL WOOLLS
Associated Press Writer

MADRID, Spain — Spain's prime minister ordered Spanish troops pulled out of Iraq as soon as possible Sunday, fulfilling a campaign pledge and trying to calm his uneasy nation after bombings that killed 191 people in Madrid.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who swept to victory in elections three days after the bombings, said he acted after deciding the United Nations was unprepared to take over the occupation of Iraq — his condition for keeping Spanish troops in the country.

Militants who claimed responsibility for the March 11 Madrid bombings said they were in retaliation for Spain's role in Iraq.

In the announcement, surprising for its timing, Zapatero said he had ordered his defense minister to "do what is necessary for the Spanish troops stationed in Iraq to return home in the shortest time possible."

Zapatero spoke just hours after the new Socialist government was sworn in. His party won March 14 general elections and had pledged to bring Spain's 1,300 troops home unless the United Nations took political and military control.

"With the information we have, and which we have gathered over the past few weeks, it is not foreseeable that the United Nations will adopt a resolution" that satisfies Spain's terms, Zapatero said.

Public remarks by key officials and contacts that Defense Minister Jose Bono made over the past month show no signs that the political and military situation will change to satisfy Spain's demands by the June 30 deadline, Zapatero said.

He noted that most Spaniards opposed the decision by his predecessor, Jose Maria Aznar, to support the war, and said withdrawing the troops had been a longstanding pledge.

"More than anything, this decision reflects my desire to keep the promise I made to the Spanish people more than a year ago," he said.

"Driven by the deepest democratic convictions, the government does not want to, cannot and will not act against or behind the backs of the will of the Spanish people," he said.

He said the Spanish government would support efforts by the United Nations or European Union to prepare Iraq for elections and the handover of sovereignty, expected June 30.

Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said he would meet Wednesday in Washington with Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to offer non-military cooperation in Iraq.

Zapatero won parliamentary backing as prime minister on Friday.

With 164 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies, his Socialist party fell 12 seats short of a majority in the election. But small, mainly regional parties holding a total of 19 seats gave Zapatero the necessary cushion to become prime minister.

So now the United Nations can't handle Iraq?

Gatekeeper

[Gangerolf]

This baffles me. Why won't they wait until June 30? Have they given up the idea/hope that the UN will take command of the troops? Zapatero has said earlier that the troops could stay longer if that was to happen.

[Giancarlo]

Liars. He's just a ****ing liar. I hope he receives substantial diplomatic punishment for this.

Have they given up the idea/hope that the UN will take command of the troops? Zapatero has said earlier that the troops could stay longer if that was to happen.

He wouldn't of kept the troops there even if the UN took over.

[Gangerolf]

Well he said he would. So I tend to agree that he's a liar.

on the other hand, this seems to be the will of the Spanish people...

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Gangerolf
Well he said he would. So I tend to agree that he's a liar.

on the other hand, this seems to be the will of the Spanish people...

It doesn't matter if it is the will of anybody.

He made a promise to keep them there until June 30th, and with UN endorsement/backing he would keep them there for longer.

[Gatekeeper]

Hey, Zapatero, don't let the terrorists shoot you in the ass on the way out. Oops. That was so unstatesman-like of me wasn't it?

Gatekeeper

[germanos]

Can't you guys read?

He has given his secretary of Defense the task to draw up plans to withdraw them as soon as possible/feasable.

This will mean they will stay for quite a while longer, most probably around the planned handover around july 1st.


Zapatero will have kept his election promise, and he will have at the same time shown to his (Spains) allies he takes a responsible stance towards the situation his predecessors has put Spanish troops in.


This'news' is not news at all: it is exactly what had to be expected

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Giancarlo
I thought they were doing that on June 30th? They lied to the international community, and I hope they will receive diplomatic punishment for that like having any business contracts they have in Afghanistan or Iraq voided. ****ing liars. They will lose the next election.

lol, you are so spinal. Keep up the good work.

[BeBMan]

Re: Spain Pulling Troops from Iraq NOW ...

Originally posted by Gatekeeper

The only question remains is this: Will Spain keep its contiginent in Afghanistan, or will the Socialist government pull them out as well, per demands from groups linked to al-Qaida?

Gatekeeper

There was something about a "trade" to hear, I mean I read somewhere they even want to send some more to Afghanistan to balance out the reduction in Iraq. Not sure how reliable that info is, thoughj.