Spain and the United States - Real Instituto Elcano

OVERVIEW 39
was the main instigator of the article published in the Wall Street Journal
(January 29, 2003), signed by the prime ministers of Spain, Portugal, Italy, the
United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary, Denmark and the Czech Republic, which
said that “the transatlantic relation must not fall victim to the constant attempts
of the Iraqi regime to threaten world security.” Aznar unsuccessfully tried to
persuade Mexico and Chile, also non-permanent members of the Security
Council, to back a UN resolution authorising the use of force in Iraq. 36 At the
height of the government’s cooperation with the US, a Spanish marketing
campaign was launched carrying the tagline: “Your friend in Europe”. More
American tourists visited Spain that year.
Spain joined the so-called “coalition of the willing”, symbolized by the
photograph of Bush, Blair and Aznar at their summit in the Azores. 37 “Spain
can no longer be in the same corner as the countries which do not count, do not
serve and do not decide,” said Aznar shortly before the invasion of Iraq. “In
order to place our country among the most important ones in the world when
the world is threatened, Spain must assume its responsibilities and do so with
courage, determination and leadership.” Spain, however, did not contribute
combat troops to the invading force, although Aznar did seriously consider
sending them. But this would have been too much even for his own party.
The alignment with Washington over Iraq was perceived by many in the
heart of Europe, particularly Germany and France, as obstructionist, if not
downright confrontational. It also went against the wishes of the overwhelming
majority of the Spanish population (around 90% expressed opposition to the
war with Iraq in opinion polls, the highest level in Europe). Aznar, however,
stuck to his guns and sent 1,300 peacekeeping troops to Iraq. 38 In return, to
some extent, for his support, Washington added Batasuna, the political wing of
Basque armed separatist group ETA that had been declared illegal, to its list of
terrorist groups, and shortly before stepping down as prime minister (having
vowed not to run for a third term), Aznar was accorded the honour of
addressing a joint session of Congress. Awarding him the Congressional Gold
Medal, the highest award bestowed by the US government which Tony Blair
36. Despite Chile refusing to lend its support, Aznar was able to intercede personally with Bush and get
him to agree to sign the free trade accord with Chile in September 2003. The agreement ran the risk of being put
back because Chile appeared to be “unfriendly”.
37. In his book, Retratos y perfiles (Planeta, 2005, pp. 265-74), Aznar said, “Spain was at the Azores
because it could not participate in the Normandy landing, which is where we should have been.” Spain was
officially neutral in the Second World War, but Franco aided Hitler and Mussolini.
38. A dissenting voice, though not in public, was Rodrigo Rato, the deputy prime minister for economic
affairs. According to Federico Trillo, the defence minister at the time, Rato firmly expressed his opposition to
Spain’s military involvement at a cabinet meeting shortly before the invasion of Iraq. In its place, he suggested
humanitarian aid. See Memoria de entreguerras. Mis años en el Ministerio de Defensa by Federico Trillo
(Planeta, 2005).