José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born August 4, 1960) is the Prime Minister of Spain. His party, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, won the general election on March 14, 2004. Notable actions of his government have included withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq and legalizing same-sex marriages. Another notable government act was the removal of one of the last remaining statues of General Franco, the former fascist dictator.

Foreign policy

Zapatero favors a multilateral approach to foreign policy with the United Nations playing a fundamental role. He has also affirmed his view that a strict respect to international law is essential for keeping peace; this is a clear reference to the Iraq war. The first time he spoke before the UN General Assembly, he proposed an Alliance of Civilizations as a way to solve the world's problems.

Related Topics:
United Nations - Iraq - UN General Assembly

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Foreign policy is the area where Zapatero differs most sharply from his predecessor. Aznar defended a foreign policy based on two pillars: A strong alliance with the U.S., and a peripheral European strategy where Spain would emphasize its friendship with European countries like Italy, the UK, and Poland in order to counterblanace French and German power within the EU.

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European Union

Zapatero has preferred to focus on what he considers to be the core countries of the EU, mainly France and Germany, which would join Spain in forming a strong block as a counterbalance to American power. On March 1 2005 he became the first Spanish prime minister to speak to the French National Assembly.

Related Topics:
March 1 - 2005

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With regard to the European Constitution, Zapatero accepted the distribution of power proposed by Germany and France. This decision, however, in effect abandoned Poland, which had the same stance as that of the previous government under Aznar. Under the new distribution of power, Spain was certain to lose influence, but Zapatero accepted it anyway. After signing up the treaty in Rome with the other leaders, Spain held the first referendum to ratify it, which was held on February 20, 2005. The turnout was the lowest in Spanish history at only 41%, though over 75% voted in favor of the Constitution, which was backed by the two principal parties: Zapatero's Socialists and the opposition People's Party). http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6967515/

Related Topics:
European Constitution - February 20 - 2005

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Iraq and relations with U.S.

During the electoral campaign, Zapatero had promised to recall the troops in Iraq if control over that country was not given to the United Nations after June 30, 2004. He did, however, declare that he did not intend to withdraw the Spanish troops before that date. In any case, on April 18, 2004, Zapatero announced that the return of the 1300 Spanish troops stationed in Iraq would start immediately. The last soldier was scheduled to be back the same day the European political campaign began in May 2004. Some critics have asserted that this was not a casual connection. and that his withdrawal coincided with a large increase in the number of abductions to blackmail governments to withdraw troops.

Related Topics:
United Nations - June 30 - 2004 - April 18 - Iraq - May

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The withdrawal aroused a great deal of international criticism, as many feared that it could be perceived as a victory for terrorists. Then U.S. presidential candidate Senator John Kerry joined President Bush in asking Zapatero not to recall the Spanish soldiers. Some months later, Zapatero's government agreed to increase the number of Spanish soldiers in Afghanistan and to send troops to Haiti in an attempt to show a willingness to spend resources on international missions.

Related Topics:
Senator - John Kerry - President Bush - Afghanistan - Haiti

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On June 8, 2004, with the withdrawal already finished, Zapatero's government voted in favor of the UN Security Council Resolution 1546 which included provisions that asked member states and NGOs to contribute military and economic assistance to Iraq. However, in a later visit to to Tunisia, Zapatero asked all countries with troops in Iraq to withdraw their soldiers. This drew an angry response from the President Bush, and the American ambassador to Spain refused to go to the annual National Holiday military parade to protest Zapatero's comments.

Related Topics:
June 8 - 2004 - President Bush

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Relations between President Bush and Zapatero were still strained in fall of 2004. When Bush won re-election, Zapatero's congratulatory call did not get to the White House unlike many other important world leaders such as Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac. Zapatero's message was later passed on by King Juan Carlos who visited Bush's Texas ranch a week after US elections.

Related Topics:
Tony Blair - Jacques Chirac - King Juan Carlos

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Gibraltar and relations with U.K.

On the issue of Gibraltar, Zapatero initially took a strong line with the U.K. by complaining about Gibraltar's tercentenary celebrations of its independence from Spain. Zapatero's government may have considered those celebrations to be a direct provocation due to the tensions caused by his decision to withdraw troops from the American and British-led coalition in Iraq.

Related Topics:
Gibraltar - U.K.

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At the end of 2004, Zapatero decided to change his policy and became the first Spanish prime minister to accept the participation of Gibraltar itself as a partner in the discussions about the future of the colony. The opposition People's Party considered the decision a surrender of Spanish rights over the colony, but Zapatero justified it as a new way to solve a 300 hundred years old problem.

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Poland

In December 2004, Zapatero, after attending sessions of the Parliamentary Investigative Committee about the Madrid Bombings for 15 hours, decided to suspend his meetings scheduled for the next day in Poland. He commented that "he felt a little tired." Some days later, Zapatero was scheduled to meet the Polish prime minister at a European summit in Brussels. This meeting did not take place either because the plane of the Polish leader was said to have suffered an unexpected delay. Some feared that these events served to aggravate relations that had already been damaged after Zapatero's decision to change the Spanish stance regarding the European Constitution. However, some time later, an official meeting meant a reconciliation of both nations.

Related Topics:
Madrid Bombings - European Constitution

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Latin America

Another change in policy with regard to his predecessor is Zapatero's decision to approach left-wing leaders such as Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. Zapatero has played an important role in the improvement of relations between Castro's regime and the European Union. At the end of March 2005, Zapatero traveled to Venezuela to cement a deal that would allow for the sales of military ships and aircraft valued at about $1.7 billion to Venezuela. The decision was criticized by both the U.S. and the opposition People's Party. Zapatero has claimed that the equipment has no offensive power.

Related Topics:
Fidel Castro - Cuba - Hugo Chávez - Venezuela

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