22 September 2004

MADRID - A bitter political row blew up Wednesday over suggestions by Spanish premier José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero that an alliance should be formed between the West and Islamic nations.

The opposition Popular Party (PP) ridiculed Zapatero's sugestion, claiming he had devalued the image of Spain to the outside world.

PP spokesman Eduardo Zaplana said Zapatero's speech to the UN General Assembly in New York was full of "empty words".

He claimed the speech could create some ironic reaction from other European leaders.
Zaplana said they were the thoughts of a college student.

Other left-wing opposition parties supported Zapatero's suggestion.

Speaking late Tuesday, Zapatero proposed the creation of an Alliance of Civilizations to foster understanding between the Christian and Islamic worlds.

Zapatero began with references to Iraq by expressing his solidarity with all those who have lost their lives in a conflict which, he said, "an overwhelming majority" of Spaniards opposed from the beginning.

He contradicted former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar, who in an appearance at Georgetown University in the US the same day, claimed most Spaniards wanted the war to be won.

Zapatero said: "We said that war was much easier to win than peace was. Peace is the task, a task that demands more courage, more determination and more heroism than war. That's why Spanish troops were withdrawn from Iraq."

Now, the most important thing is to contribute to re-establishing complete independence and sovereignty in that country, he added.

Concerning the actions of radical Basque ETA terrorists, Zapatero emphasised that Spaniards have learned over a period of 30 years how to live with and combat terrorism. That is why they understood so well the pain the American people felt following the September 11 attacks.

He also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of solidarity following the March 11 attacks, when Islamic radicals killed 191 people by bombing four Madrid commuter trains.

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