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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (40068)	3/21/2004 4:06:08 PM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

A year after the Iraqi war began, ¿Qué Pasa? Iraq? Afghanistan? The coalition of the willing, ain't. Iraq pull-out looks inevitable - Spain's Zapatero By Andrew Cawthorne Spain's withdrawal from Iraq is all but inevitable, incoming Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said in an interview on Sunday bound to disappoint Washington and stoke debate over the occupation. With the March 11 Madrid train bombings still uppermost in Spaniards' minds, thousands attended memorial services across the nation for the 202 victims, including a Catholic mass inside one of the railway stations targeted in the blasts. Separately, hundreds of mainly North African immigrants chanted "Islam is not terrorism" at a rally to protest against the attacks and warn against any anti-Muslim backlash amid suspicions that al Qaeda-linked radicals planted the bombs. Zapatero, whose Socialists ousted the centre-right government in a shock election victory a week ago, has vowed to stand by his pre-election pledge to withdraw 1,300 troops from Iraq, unless the United Nations takes control by mid-year. "A lot would have to change (in Iraq). The return of Spanish troops is a decision that will be difficult to avoid," Zapatero told El Pais newspaper, rebuffing U.S. government calls for Spain to stay the course in Iraq. His election came three days after the synchronised bombings of four trains, which revived anti-war sentiment across Spain. U.S. Republicans have complained that Zapatero's decision to pull troops out of Iraq amounts to appeasing terrorists, but he insisted the Iraq war was a "great mistake" and that better sharing of intelligence was the real answer. "Terrorism is not defeated with wars," he said. Zapatero said he believed it was still possible for the United Nations to take charge by the June 30 deadline for a planned U.S. handover of sovereignty to Iraqis. It is not clear, however, if that would be enough for Spain to keep its troops in Iraq. "The only viable form of occupation would be for the U.N. to take political control, for more multinational forces including many Arab countries led by the Arab League to be involved," Zapatero said. REVENGE FOR IRAQ WAR Support for his anti-war stance snowballed in the wake of the Madrid bombings, seen by many as revenge by radical Islamists for Spain's support of the U.S.-led war. At El Pozo station, thousands prayed together on Sunday. "We are here to pray for all the victims, for those who we will never see smile again," priest Jose Manuel Pecon said. European Union foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday to work on closer cooperation in the fight against terrorism and to pressure other nations to also clamp down. German Interior Minister Otto Schily said on Sunday it was vital that European nations worked closely together in tracking the movements and contacts of guerrilla groups. The outgoing government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar had initially blamed Basque separatist group ETA for the train bombings, until evidence emerged of Islamist involvement. In Madrid's historic Puerta del Sol square, several hundred immigrants, mainly from Morocco, gathered on Sunday to express sorrow for the deaths and urge racial tolerance. Six Moroccans are among 10 suspects in custody. The demonstrators chanted "They are terrorists, not Moroccans" and "We are Muslims, not terrorists". Banners read "Islam does not kill". ETA said in a new statement published on Sunday it wanted dialogue with Zapatero's incoming government but would maintain its armed struggle. Socialist leaders condemned the statement and quickly ruled out negotiations. reuters.com >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> And things are peaceful in Afghanistan - not. Afghan Minister Assassinated, 50-100 Die in Fighting, AP Says The assassination of Afghanistan's civil aviation minister sparked a battle between local military forces in the western Afghanistan city of Herat in which 50 to 100 soldiers died, the Associated Press reported, quoting a local military commander. Afghan President Hamid Karzai convened an emergency Cabinet session and dispatched troops to the city after the killing of Mirwais Sadiq, AP said. Troops under the command of Zaher Naib Zada shot Sadiq after he tried to fire Zada, the commander told AP in a telephone interview. Soldiers loyal to both men then fought with machine guns, tanks and rockets for control of the city's main barracks, the news service reported. Sadiq went to Zada's residence not to fire him, but to inquire about the killing of three civilians by Zada's forces two days earlier, AP said, quoting Fahim, a police officer at the city's police headquarters. Sadiq's father, Ismail Khan, leads a private army and has controlled Herat since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. To contact the reporter on this story: James Tyson in the Washington newsroom jtyson@bloomberg.net quote.bloomberg.com lurqer