News:
Spain�s pro-US prime minister routed

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

The rightist Popular Party of Jose Mar�a Aznar was routed by the Socialist Workers Party in the recently held election in Spain on March 14. Aznar�s defeat came after flareup of people�s anger when more than 200 died and over 1,500 were injured on March 11 in a terrorist bomb attack on a train in Madrid, the Spanish capital.

The bombing has been claimed by al-Qaeda, but the Aznar government tried to pin the blame for it on the ETA, a secessionist group that has long been waging armed struggle in Spain. It was an attempt to prevent the bombing to be seen as an act of retaliation by Islamic groups. The Aznar government was a rabid supporter of the US� war on Iraq despite strong opposition from the Spanish people. Up to 14 million protested nationwide on March 13, a day before the election.

Since the occupation of Iraq by the US and its allied forces, 11 Spanish soldiers have been killed in attacks by Iraqi guerrillas. Jos� Rodriguez Zapatero, the country�s newly elected prime minister, has promised to send home by June 30 the 1,300-strong Spanish contingent that is among the forces occupying Iraq. He also strongly denounced Aznar�s pro-US policies.

With this measure, Spain is the first country to formally withdraw from the US-led coalition that attacked and is presently occupying Iraq.

21 March 2004
English Edition

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