Spain Would Allow U.S. Use of Bases for Iraq Attack

Reuters | 1/23/03

[kattracks]

Jan. 23

— MADRID (Reuters) - Spain said publicly for the first time on Thursday it would allow the United States to use Spanish bases to support a possible military strike on Iraq.

"In the event a military intervention in Iraq becomes inevitable, the government will not shy away from its political convictions," Foreign Minister Ana Palacio told a parliamentary committee.

"(The government) will also take all measures stemming from its responsibilities to friendly and allied countries. Of course, in this area, I include, as in the past, authorization for the use of Spanish bases," she said.

Spain's support for the United States came as Germany and France rejected U.S. criticism that they were isolated within Europe in their effort to avoid war in Iraq.

Spain's center-right government, which took up a seat this month as a rotating member of the U.N. Security Council, has backed the United States in the Iraq crisis although opinion polls point to strong opposition among ordinary Spaniards.

Speaking to reporters later, Palacio refused to be drawn on whether Spain would support an attack on Iraq without a U.N. resolution authorizing force and whether Spain would allow use of its troops in any conflict.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the excellent history lesson of how Spain and Cuba helped us to become a nation.

[MattinNJ]

Viva Espana. Fascinating read. BTTT for a later read for my Cuban Father in Law.

[princess leah]

Oh, wasn't that the MOOPS? George Castanza said so...

[livius]

Thanks for the great historical background.

¡Viva España!

[Man of the Right]

Aznar's a cool dude. The Spanish keep a low profile, but they're always there. Also, unlike the rest of Europe, force quality is improving.

[Man of the Right]

Aznar's a cool dude. The Spanish keep a low profile, but they're always there. Also, unlike the rest of Europe, force quality is improving.

[Porterville]

Ha, Ha, us Hispanics are much better and have more honor than the Frogs and Krauts.

[Porterville]

Yeah, we are still pissed about them coming up in the 9th century via Morocco. I don't like Salidan I like Roland; who unfortunatley as I understand the story, was French. Unless his real name was Rolando.

[DannyTN]

"Me too, but then it's also true that the Spanish have a history with Arabs ..... they know the threat.

Revenge is a dish best served by US missles.

Spain - Not the "old europe" or the "axis of weasils"

[cake_crumb]

"Spain's support for the United States came as Germany and France rejected U.S. criticism that they were isolated within Europe in their effort to avoid war in Iraq"

Thank you Spain!! (hopefully the "poll" results in Spain are as ridiculously screwed as they are in the US, which still enjoys enormous support from the American people...even on MSNBC polls!)

[cake_crumb]

BUMP!!

Good T shirt slogan too.

[Lady In Blue]

BUMP! After the United States, I've always loved Spain the best of all the European countries. VIVA ESPANA!

[freedumb2003]

"Spain's support for the United States came as Germany and France rejected U.S. criticism that they were isolated within Europe in their effort to avoid war in Iraq"

Thank you Spain!!

I know we can't but wouldn't it be nice if we could use Spain to launch attacks on our new enemies -- Germany and France? Turn the Eiffel Tower into the biggest damn McDonalds on the planet -- 200 foot arches that can be seen for hundreds of kilometers! Force the frogs to be polite - IN ENGLISH! Make the Germans take only 4 weeks vacation a year and work 40 hours a week. Remove the government subsidies of Simens and the rest and watch them apply to the Salvation Army for help.

Pax Americana sounds pretty good to me these days.

[cake_crumb]

Hey...dream big! Dreams are free!! (And irony is SUCH fun!!)

[copycat]

Spain, Great Britain, Italy, Australia, Turkey...the list of allies is growing.

[freedumb2003]

LOL

[1rudeboy]

My understanding is that Spain did not allow us to use its airspace during Operation Coronado Canyon.

[Dqban22]

THE NAME OF THE OPERATION WAS EL DORADO CANYON, AND YES, SPAIN ALLOWED THE AMERICAN BOMBERS TO FLY OVER SPANISH TERRITORIES.

"Mission planners decided, as part of the effort to attain tactical surprise, to hit all five targets simultaneously. This decision had crucial impact on nearly every aspect of the operation since it meant that the available US Navy resources could not perform the mission unilaterally. The only two types of aircraft in the US inventory capable of conducting a precision night attack were the Navy’s A-6s and the Air Force’s F-111s. The Navy had two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean at the time planning for the raid: The America and The Coral Sea. Each had ten A-6 aircraft, but these were not the total of 32 aircraft estimated as required to successfully hit all five targets with one raid. The closest F-111s were based in the United Kingdom (UK); and use of these UK based aircraft dramatically affected the scope and complexity of the operation. Planning was even further compounded when the French refused to grant authority to overfly France. This refusal increased the distance of the flight route from Great Britain to Tripoli by about 1300 nautical miles each way, added 6-7 hours of flight time for the pilots and crews, and forced a tremendous amount of additional refueling support from tanker aircraft."

[For the Unborn]

Very interesting post. Aren't the Dutch also supporting the US against Iraq? I know that the Dutch were one of the first (if not the first) supporters of the American Revolution through the island of St. Eustacius in the West Indies.

[Dqban22]

CORRECTION: YOU WERE RIGHT, I WAS WRONG. ONLY BRITAIN COOPERATED WITH U.S. WHEN REAGAN ORDERED THE ATTACK TO LIBYA IN 4/16/86.

"The fear of reprisals and loss of business caused France, Germany, Italy, and Spain to refuse to cooperate in a strike.

The faintheartedness of these countries forced the US to prepare a radically different attack plan. USAF F-111s would now navigate around France and Spain, thread the needle through the airspace over the narrow Strait of Gibraltar, and then plunge on eastward over the Mediterranean until in a position to attack.

It would prove to be a grueling round-trip flight of 6,400 miles that spanned 13 hours, requiring eight to 12 in-flight refuelings for each aircraft. Inasmuch as a standard NATO F-111 sortie was about two hours, the El Dorado Canyon mission placed a tremendous strain on crews and complex avionic systems at the heart of the aircraft."