A rchive Date
[ 22-02-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Spain ]
|
[http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/editorial/1789946
AZNAR'S ANSWERS
Strong line for Iraq, between the lines for politics
Feb. 21, 2003, 8:37PM
Houstonians got a glimpse Friday of the furious diplomacy being waged as a divided world builds toward a war to force the disarmament of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
"Now, after 9/11, we know there is no terrorism that deserves our understanding or our benevolent approach," Spain's Prime Minister José Maria Aznar told a downtown lunchtime gathering of the Houston Forum. "We will fight shoulder to shoulder with our American friends to bring an end to terrorism anywhere, with all of its consequences and to the end of the fight."
There is no doubt that despite strong opposition in his own country, Aznar stands beside the Bush administration's efforts to bring Saddam to heel.
But the real story for the moment is what Aznar did not say and who does not stand shoulder to shoulder in this effort. A sidebar might be how opposition to an attack on Iraq affects Texas and national politics.
Aznar was on his way to meet President George W. Bush at his ranch in Crawford. The Spaniard had come from Mexico City, where he had met with Mexico's President Vicente Fox, who opposes military action to solve the crisis. The leaders met in private for more than two hours at the Mexican presidential residence and then issued a joint communique. In it they supported a multilateral diplomatic effort to remove weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. But the document left out the major points of disagreement between the two.
In an interview following his Houston speech, Aznar downplayed the differences and shifted focus to the diplomatic effort now under way in the United Nations.
The Bush administration and Britain are expected to present a new resolution to the U.N. Security Council Monday in what is expected to be a final bid to gain support for using military force in Iraq.
France, which heads an anti-war bloc, has the power to veto the resolution. France has joined with Russia, China and Germany, which currently chairs the Security Council, to call for weapons inspectors to have more time. Mexico, which holds one of the rotating seats on the council, also gets a vote.
Aznar made it fairly clear that there is a behind-the-scenes, full-court press to round up as strong a showing on the Security Council vote as possible.
What if the resolution fails, as expected? "We always talk about if, if, if," chided Aznar. "But what we have to focus on now is achieving the greatest majority." He returned to the theme several times. "In my opinion," he later added, "one has to be able to count on the greatest possible support."
Bush, no doubt, would count that as a moral victory.
Aznar acknowledged that divisions over Iraq and other issues make this "not the best time" in European-U.S. relations, but he said each side needs the other. He pointed out that throughout history, "every time the United States and Europe have drifted apart, the world has encountered problems."
Domestic divisiveness also presents problems for the Bush administration.
Bob Stein, who is dean of the school of social sciences at Rice University and tracks Hispanic voting, said Aznar's support is critical for Bush to gain support from Hispanics, especially in light of the Mexican president's stance.
"Having Spain but not having Fox is a problem," Stein said. "It's not an accident that Spain's prime minister is coming to Crawford. Spanish support is putting pressure on Fox as well as reminding Mexican-American voters that we have that support."
Indeed, a number of prominent Hispanics were in Aznar's Houston audience.
Stein pointed to polling that indicates support for Bush on Iraq is weak among ethnic minorities, particularly among Hispanics. Having a high number of minorities in the volunteer Army is part of it, Stein said.
"But Hispanics, whether they are first, sixth, 10th or whatever generation, ethnicity gives them a global perspective," he said. "It may be what you have is a people who see the world from the outside in. I think the president is in deep trouble on this one. The Hispanic vote is critical in this regard, and I expect [presidential political adviser] Karl Rove is worried."
All politics is local, the saying goes. Apparently so.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
|