Spain’s former prime minister José María Aznar has defended his decision to back the war in Iraq, arguing in a recently released letter that his country emerged “a winner”.
“In terms of influence and international support for our goals, Spain came out a winner,” Aznar wrote in a letter in August. The letter came to light this week after it was published in a book by the country’s current foreign minister, José Manuel García-Margallo.
Spain’s backing of the Iraq war was in line with other countries in Europe, said Aznar, who governed Spain from 1996 to 2004. “We did what the majority of other European countries did, but our visibility was heightened because we had a non-permanent seat on the UN security council.” In the run-up to the war, Aznar was a key international ally of the then-US president, George W Bush.
Last week, Tony Blair, another Bush ally, made a qualified apology for the use of misleading intelligence and the failure to prepare for the aftermath of the invasion, but declined to apologise for the war itself.
“In terms of influence and international support for our goals, Spain came out a winner,” Aznar wrote in a letter in August. The letter came to light this week after it was published in a book by the country’s current foreign minister, José Manuel García-Margallo.
Spain’s backing of the Iraq war was in line with other countries in Europe, said Aznar, who governed Spain from 1996 to 2004. “We did what the majority of other European countries did, but our visibility was heightened because we had a non-permanent seat on the UN security council.” In the run-up to the war, Aznar was a key international ally of the then-US president, George W Bush.
Last week, Tony Blair, another Bush ally, made a qualified apology for the use of misleading intelligence and the failure to prepare for the aftermath of the invasion, but declined to apologise for the war itself.
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