LONDON, 17 March 2004 — British Prime Minister Tony Blair was seen yesterday as increasingly isolated over Iraq after losing a key ally in Spain, with the country’s newly elected leader accusing him and US President George W. Bush of going to war on the basis of lies.
Blair spoke for 15 minutes with Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero after the prime minister-elect’s Socialists scored an upset victory over the center-right Popular Party led by Jose Maria Aznar, Blair’s best ally in Europe on Iraq and the US-led war on terror, in Spain’s general elections on Sunday.
The polls were overshadowed by Thursday’s train bombings in Madrid, apparently the work of Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network, which left 200 dead and 1,500 injured.
Downing Street promptly sought to play down their differences over Iraq, saying that their phone conversation Monday was “warm and friendly,” and that they’d meet in about six weeks’ time once Zapatero takes office.
Briefing reporters yesterday, Blair’s official spokesman said Britain would seek clarification of Zapatero’s intentions vis-a-vis Iraq. “We have to take time to assess what actually the prime minister-elect means,” the spokesman added.
“Some of his comments seem to suggest that the troops will come out only if nothing changes. We will point (to the incoming Spanish government) to the progress we believe is being made in Iraq.”
On BBC radio, Cabinet minister Peter Hain insisted that an upcoming EU summit in Brussels — where anti-terrorist measures will be on the agenda — would prove that Britain is not once again the odd man out in Europe.
“Yes there are agreements and those will remain and we can respect those,” said Hain, the senior minister in charge of managing the government’s legislative agenda. “But actually what unites us is not only common objectives in Europe (but also the determination) to rebuild Iraq and create a democratic and free Iraq which was the purpose of the action a year ago.”