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Spain may withdraw Iraq troops
Spain's Socialist Party prime minister-elect says he will pull troops out of Iraq - unless the UN takes charge.
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said: "The war in Iraq was a disaster, the occupation of Iraq is a disaster."
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said: "The war in Iraq was a disaster, the occupation of Iraq is a disaster."
He called for a grand international alliance against terror and an end to "unilateral wars".
The Socialists won a shock poll victory after voters appeared to turn on the government over its handling of the Madrid bombings that killed 200 people.
Spain, with more than 1,300 troops in Iraq, supported the US-led war on Iraq despite much domestic opposition.
Police are quizzing five men over the Madrid bombings, amid reports that one of them has links to a group blamed for attacks in Casablanca last May that killed 45 people.
Iraq pull-out
At a news conference in Madrid, Mr Zapatero said his priority will be a "systematic fight against terrorism of all kinds".
He again reiterated his opposition to the US-led war in Iraq, but said his government would maintain what he described as "cordial relations" with Washington.
However Mr Zapatero said President Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair needed to "engage in some self-criticism" over their decision to invade Iraq.
He made clear that he would withdraw Spanish troops in Iraq if the United Nations did not take charge of running the country.
He said the soldiers would be pulled out if there was no change in Iraq by the 30 June deadline for transfer of sovereignty.
"Wars such as those which have occurred in Iraq only allow hatred, violence and terror to proliferate," Mr Zapatero said earlier on Monday.
Our world affairs correspondent, Paul Reynolds, says that the situation in Iraq may well have changed by 30 June, but whether that influences the new government remains to be seen.
By then the US and UK hope that the Security Council will have given UN approval to the handover plan.
In addition the interim Iraqi government will be asking foreign troops to stay as part of a UN-approved multinational force.
Outsider
Socialists won 42% of the vote, while the centre-right Popular Party won 38% in Sunday's general election, held in the wake of the Madrid train bomb attacks that killed 200 people.
The BBC's Chris Morris, in Madrid, says the bombings did more than shock Spain to the core; they proved to be the decisive factor in the general election that ousted the government.
Mr Zapatero was - until Thursday's bombings - considered an outsider for Spain's top job.
Despite his party's victory, however, there is expected to be much political horse-trading because the Socialists did not win an absolute majority.
While Mr Zapatero said his first priority was to tackle terrorism "in all its forms", he is thought likely to do it in a very different way than the outgoing government.
A larger than expected 77% of the electorate turned out to vote in the wake of last Thursday's attacks.
Our correspondent says the late swing to the Socialists raises one disturbing thought - if al-Qaeda was responsible for Thursday's attacks, it appears to have had significant influence in changing the government of a leading Western democracy.
Investigations are continuing into who was behind the bombings.
A videotaped claim of responsibility by a man identifying himself as al-Qaeda's military spokesman in Europe forced the government to change its stance on the most likely suspects.
The tape - claiming revenge for Spain's "collaboration with the criminals Bush and his allies" - was found in a litter bin on Saturday following a tip-off to a TV station.
'Suspect has al-Qaeda link'
Three Moroccans and two Indians are being held in connection with the attacks.
The three Moroccans being held have been named as Jamal Zougam, 30, Mohamed Bekkali, 31, and Mohamed Chaoui, 34.
The two Indians arrested were named as Vinay Kohly and Suresh Kumar.
Spain's El Pais newspaper reported that investigators had found links between Jamal Zougam and the Salafia Jihadia group held responsible for attacks in Casablanca last May in which more than 40 people died.
One of the targets of the Moroccan attacks was a Spanish cultural centre, where four Spaniards were among the dead.
Reports also linked Jamal Zougam to a Spanish cell of al-Qaeda which was headed by Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, also known as "Abu Dahdah".
Abu Dahdah has been indicted by the Spanish anti-terrorist prosecutor Baltasar Garzon on charges relating to the preparation of the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States.
El Pais said Jamal Zougam was cited at two points in judge Garzon's indictment, but was not charged.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3512144.stm
The Socialists won a shock poll victory after voters appeared to turn on the government over its handling of the Madrid bombings that killed 200 people.
Spain, with more than 1,300 troops in Iraq, supported the US-led war on Iraq despite much domestic opposition.
Police are quizzing five men over the Madrid bombings, amid reports that one of them has links to a group blamed for attacks in Casablanca last May that killed 45 people.
Iraq pull-out
At a news conference in Madrid, Mr Zapatero said his priority will be a "systematic fight against terrorism of all kinds".
He again reiterated his opposition to the US-led war in Iraq, but said his government would maintain what he described as "cordial relations" with Washington.
However Mr Zapatero said President Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair needed to "engage in some self-criticism" over their decision to invade Iraq.
He made clear that he would withdraw Spanish troops in Iraq if the United Nations did not take charge of running the country.
He said the soldiers would be pulled out if there was no change in Iraq by the 30 June deadline for transfer of sovereignty.
"Wars such as those which have occurred in Iraq only allow hatred, violence and terror to proliferate," Mr Zapatero said earlier on Monday.
Our world affairs correspondent, Paul Reynolds, says that the situation in Iraq may well have changed by 30 June, but whether that influences the new government remains to be seen.
By then the US and UK hope that the Security Council will have given UN approval to the handover plan.
In addition the interim Iraqi government will be asking foreign troops to stay as part of a UN-approved multinational force.
Outsider
Socialists won 42% of the vote, while the centre-right Popular Party won 38% in Sunday's general election, held in the wake of the Madrid train bomb attacks that killed 200 people.
The BBC's Chris Morris, in Madrid, says the bombings did more than shock Spain to the core; they proved to be the decisive factor in the general election that ousted the government.
Mr Zapatero was - until Thursday's bombings - considered an outsider for Spain's top job.
Despite his party's victory, however, there is expected to be much political horse-trading because the Socialists did not win an absolute majority.
While Mr Zapatero said his first priority was to tackle terrorism "in all its forms", he is thought likely to do it in a very different way than the outgoing government.
A larger than expected 77% of the electorate turned out to vote in the wake of last Thursday's attacks.
Our correspondent says the late swing to the Socialists raises one disturbing thought - if al-Qaeda was responsible for Thursday's attacks, it appears to have had significant influence in changing the government of a leading Western democracy.
Investigations are continuing into who was behind the bombings.
A videotaped claim of responsibility by a man identifying himself as al-Qaeda's military spokesman in Europe forced the government to change its stance on the most likely suspects.
The tape - claiming revenge for Spain's "collaboration with the criminals Bush and his allies" - was found in a litter bin on Saturday following a tip-off to a TV station.
'Suspect has al-Qaeda link'
Three Moroccans and two Indians are being held in connection with the attacks.
The three Moroccans being held have been named as Jamal Zougam, 30, Mohamed Bekkali, 31, and Mohamed Chaoui, 34.
The two Indians arrested were named as Vinay Kohly and Suresh Kumar.
Spain's El Pais newspaper reported that investigators had found links between Jamal Zougam and the Salafia Jihadia group held responsible for attacks in Casablanca last May in which more than 40 people died.
One of the targets of the Moroccan attacks was a Spanish cultural centre, where four Spaniards were among the dead.
Reports also linked Jamal Zougam to a Spanish cell of al-Qaeda which was headed by Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, also known as "Abu Dahdah".
Abu Dahdah has been indicted by the Spanish anti-terrorist prosecutor Baltasar Garzon on charges relating to the preparation of the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States.
El Pais said Jamal Zougam was cited at two points in judge Garzon's indictment, but was not charged.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3512144.stm
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MADRID, Spain (AP) - The leader of Spain's victorious Socialists said Monday he will bring his country's troops home from Iraq by June 30, fulfilling a campaign promise a day after his party's win in elections overshadowed by terrorist bombings.
"The Spanish troops which are in Iraq will be returning home," Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told Cadena Ser radio. He said the troops would be recalled once he puts together a government some time in mid-April and formally takes over as prime minister.
However, a party spokesman explained to The Associated Press that Zapatero is also sticking by his campaign condition that the 1,300 troops would stay if the United Nations assumed control of the peacekeeping operation in Iraq.
The surprise defeat Sunday of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's conservatives marked the first time a government that backed the U.S.-led war in Iraq has been voted out of office. It came amid allegations that Aznar made Spain a target for terrorists by supporting the war against the wishes of the Spanish people.
Thursday's train bombings - the worst terrorist attacks in Spain's history - killed 200 people and wounded some 1,500.
Of the 1,500 people injured in the Madrid attacks, 243 remained in hospital Monday, with 11 in critical condition, the Spanish news media reported.
In Sunday's election, the Socialists defeated the Aznar's Popular party, jumping from 125 seats to 164 in the 350-member Congress of Deputies. The conservatives fell from 183 to 148.
The Spanish stock market shuddered over news that Socialists will take power, with the benchmark Ibex-35 stock index dropping 2.4 per cent at the opening bell. It was down 3.2 per cent shortly after noon local time.
The conservatives' defeat was unexpected. Pre-election polls had projected the Popular party, led by Mariano Rajoy after Aznar decided not to seek a third term, would win comfortably. Even some exit polls Sunday showed it might win.
But when the ballots were tallied, the Socialists netted 10.9 million votes to 9.6 million for the Popular party. Turnout was 77 per cent.
Zapatero ran for the first time for prime minister against an entrenched government and won. "That broke a lot of precedents," party campaign manager Jose Blanco said Monday.
The circumstances were exceptional.
The train bombings were followed by nationwide street rallies against the attacks and smaller ones against Aznar's increasingly beleaguered government. Then came the arrests of five suspects in the bombings, including three Moroccans, and a reported al-Qaida claim of responsibility in a videotape.
The tape raised the possibility that terrorists aligned with Osama bin Laden had changed the course of a national election. Spain's government has insisted its prime suspect in Thursday's rail bombings was the armed Basque separatist group ETA.
Zapatero said Monday he would attempt to form a purely Socialist government, not a coalition with other parties.
Late Sunday, Zapatero started his victory speech by remembering those killed in the railway bombings. "At this moment I think of the lives that were broken by terror on Thursday," he said, then asked the crowd to join him in a minute of silence.
"My most immediate priority will be to fight terrorism," he said.
The Spanish Socialist Workers party previously held power from 1982 to 1996 but ran afoul of corruption scandals and was voted out in 1996, when Aznar took office.
Savouring victory again, 1,000 jubilant supporters cheered and waved the party's red flag outside Socialist party headquarters on Sunday.
But they, too, mourned those killed in the railway blasts. "Not all of us are here. Two hundred are missing," the crowd shouted.
"I think the party won because of people's frustration people about the Popular party getting us into the war in Iraq," said one of them, housewife Loli Carrasco Gomez, 36.
Of the troops in Iraq, she said: "I hope they all come home and never go back."
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/040315/w031530.html
"The Spanish troops which are in Iraq will be returning home," Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told Cadena Ser radio. He said the troops would be recalled once he puts together a government some time in mid-April and formally takes over as prime minister.
However, a party spokesman explained to The Associated Press that Zapatero is also sticking by his campaign condition that the 1,300 troops would stay if the United Nations assumed control of the peacekeeping operation in Iraq.
The surprise defeat Sunday of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's conservatives marked the first time a government that backed the U.S.-led war in Iraq has been voted out of office. It came amid allegations that Aznar made Spain a target for terrorists by supporting the war against the wishes of the Spanish people.
Thursday's train bombings - the worst terrorist attacks in Spain's history - killed 200 people and wounded some 1,500.
Of the 1,500 people injured in the Madrid attacks, 243 remained in hospital Monday, with 11 in critical condition, the Spanish news media reported.
In Sunday's election, the Socialists defeated the Aznar's Popular party, jumping from 125 seats to 164 in the 350-member Congress of Deputies. The conservatives fell from 183 to 148.
The Spanish stock market shuddered over news that Socialists will take power, with the benchmark Ibex-35 stock index dropping 2.4 per cent at the opening bell. It was down 3.2 per cent shortly after noon local time.
The conservatives' defeat was unexpected. Pre-election polls had projected the Popular party, led by Mariano Rajoy after Aznar decided not to seek a third term, would win comfortably. Even some exit polls Sunday showed it might win.
But when the ballots were tallied, the Socialists netted 10.9 million votes to 9.6 million for the Popular party. Turnout was 77 per cent.
Zapatero ran for the first time for prime minister against an entrenched government and won. "That broke a lot of precedents," party campaign manager Jose Blanco said Monday.
The circumstances were exceptional.
The train bombings were followed by nationwide street rallies against the attacks and smaller ones against Aznar's increasingly beleaguered government. Then came the arrests of five suspects in the bombings, including three Moroccans, and a reported al-Qaida claim of responsibility in a videotape.
The tape raised the possibility that terrorists aligned with Osama bin Laden had changed the course of a national election. Spain's government has insisted its prime suspect in Thursday's rail bombings was the armed Basque separatist group ETA.
Zapatero said Monday he would attempt to form a purely Socialist government, not a coalition with other parties.
Late Sunday, Zapatero started his victory speech by remembering those killed in the railway bombings. "At this moment I think of the lives that were broken by terror on Thursday," he said, then asked the crowd to join him in a minute of silence.
"My most immediate priority will be to fight terrorism," he said.
The Spanish Socialist Workers party previously held power from 1982 to 1996 but ran afoul of corruption scandals and was voted out in 1996, when Aznar took office.
Savouring victory again, 1,000 jubilant supporters cheered and waved the party's red flag outside Socialist party headquarters on Sunday.
But they, too, mourned those killed in the railway blasts. "Not all of us are here. Two hundred are missing," the crowd shouted.
"I think the party won because of people's frustration people about the Popular party getting us into the war in Iraq," said one of them, housewife Loli Carrasco Gomez, 36.
Of the troops in Iraq, she said: "I hope they all come home and never go back."
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/040315/w031530.html
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