Spain Intelligence Agents to Stay in Iraq

philly.com ^ | Thu, Apr. 22, 2004

[Destro]

Posted on Thu, Apr. 22, 2004

Spain Intelligence Agents to Stay in Iraq

CIARAN GILES

Associated Press

MADRID, Spain - Spain has agreed to a U.S. request to leave its intelligence agents in Iraq and not withdraw them along with its 1,300 troops, a leading Socialist party member said Thursday.

"Yes, there is an agreement, a consensus, on this. Both the defense and foreign ministers have spoken on this," Trinidad Jimenez, the ruling party's spokeswoman for international affairs, said in a Telecinco TV interview.

Spain would "maintain a commitment" in Iraq, Jimenez said. "It's just a question of deciding where and how."

It was unclear when the U.S. government made the request.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who took office last weekend, irked the United States and its allies by announcing he would withdraw Spain's troops as soon as possible, given that his demand that the United Nations take control of the postwar occupation of Iraq by June 30 was not going to be met.

Zapatero, like most Spaniards, opposed the U.S.-led invasion.

Most if not all troops should be home by June 1, or about a month early, Defense Minister Jose Bono has said.

Zapatero's predecessor, Jose Maria Aznar, was one of the strongest supporters of the war. Although Spain did not take part in the fighting, it sent peacekeeping troops afterward.

No details were available as to how many agents of the National Intelligence Center are in Iraq.

Of the 11 Spaniards killed there since August, seven were intelligence agents who were ambushed in November.

Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos met Wednesday with Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington to explain the troop withdrawal decision.

Moratinos told Powell that Spain would continue to send troops abroad, but only with the backing of the United Nations. He also reportedly expressed Spain's commitment to boost troop numbers in Afghanistan, where it has 125 soldiers.

However, Bono told Spanish television late Wednesday that a decision on Afghanistan had not yet been made.

[Destro]

If our allies do indeed switch forces to Afghanistan because they don't like the Iraq mission would freepers still have a problem with that?

[Ruth A.]

I just read the title and my hacklers were rising. Why should we trust their intelligence poeple?

[Iberian]

They have been there since the start. Besides we can use all the help we can get.
The Afghans need attention, thats where the problem is.

[Texasforever]

If our allies do indeed switch forces to Afghanistan because they don't like the Iraq mission would freepers still have a problem with that?

Only if they are beating the bushes for Osama. If they want to be "peace keepers" then to hell with them. However, given the message from Al Queda to Spain Osama would be more inclined to attack Spain over Afghanistan than Iraq. It makes no logical sense for Al Queda to stand still for Spanish troops in Afghanistan looking for Bin Laden.

[Destro]

Spain (to be honest) did not withdraw from Iraq because they wanted to appease al-Qaeda. The Socialists would have withdrawn Spanish troops from Iraq regardless. The Spanish mission to Afghanistan - covered under NATO since the USA was attacked - was never in question.

[Texasforever]

Makes no difference. You appear to believe that Al Queda will make that distinction. That is baloney. Spain will never place troops in Afghanistan. They are in face saving mode right now but they have no intention of inviting another attack.

[SBprone]

We don't trust ANYBODY'S intelligence people 100%. But we work with most of them because they produce intel that we need.

When we want to know what's going on with Moroccan expats we can get a lot of help from Spanish intelligence.

[Destro]

Spain always had troops in Afghanistan. Spain is obligated under the NATO charter to be in Afghanistan since NATO's self defense clause was initiated after 9/11.

[Texasforever]

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- The incoming Socialist government, under pressure over its plans to withdraw Spain's troops from Iraq, has agreed to double the country's contingent in Afghanistan to 250 soldiers this summer, an aide to the future defense minister said Monday.

Yep they are really going all out.

[McGavin999]

Surely Spain is aware of the Oil for Food scandal. Why on earth would they still want a UN mandate?

[Destro]

so let's say they make it 1,200? Would we still feel betrayed? Just asking.

[Texasforever]

If they send the same 1300 to Afghanistan then It would be good but that is NOT what Spain is proposing so it is a moot point.

[Destro]

I am askinga hypothetical so no mooting.

[Texasforever]

I said it would be good. However, that is not the proposal. BTW. I can't get to the latest posts page all I get is the forum thread listings. Are you seeing latest posts?

[Cronos]

If Spain shifts those 1300 troops to Afghanistan and allows us to move troops from there to Irq, we could forgive them.

[Cronos]

That is baloney. Spain will never place troops in Afghanistan. They are in face saving mode right now but they have no intention of inviting another attack.

Well, Spain ALREADY HAS PLACED TROOPS IN AFGH and not according to the article:
He also reportedly expressed Spain's commitment to boost troop numbers in Afghanistan, where it has 125 soldiers.

The voters didn't want to get involved in Irq, fair enough, a democratic decision. But they were behind us in Afgh.

[Cronos]

Surely Spain is aware of the Oil for Food scandal. Why on earth would they still want a UN mandate?

Most other nations want a UN mandate for the same reason Spain wants it -- to prove to their people that it's a global decision to do something.

[RichInOC]

I assume this was covered by the principle, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer".

[livius]

This may also be a case of keeping your friends close - and your enemies closer.

The Spanish intelligence services go way back in Iraq, for various reasons, and have considerable knowledge of the area. However, they were extremely politicized under Felipe Gonzalez (first Spanish Socialist prez, who was in charge for 12 years). One of the things that led to the election of the PP was a big scandal involving the political use within Spain of the Spanish intelligence service, then known as the CESID. One of its high-ranking members, being threatened with prosecution, even stole and leaked confidential files on politicians as "insurance."

The CESID was quite powerful, and it was not until his second term that Aznar could reorganize it. It is now known as the CNI, and while many of the Socialists who ran it before were reshuffled out to other places in the government or sent to distant, unimportant posts, they are all returning to Madrid now and some of the corrupt old boys are being given positions of power again.

There are many questions about their handling of March 11, whether some of it was politically motivated in an attempt to discredit Aznar, or just plain bungling. Furthermore, while they should have been aware of the Moroccan terrorists, the bombings caught the CNI by surprise, and then in their investigation, they refused not only US and Israeli help, but even excluded the Guardia Civil.

On the other hand, it may have been bungling: eight Spanish intelligence agents were killed in Iraq earlier this year by being careless enough to meet together for dinner and leave together all in a group. And then they called Madrid for help instead of calling us (a few kilometers away).

There are also rumors that the CNI negotiated with al Sadr for the safe departure of Spanish forces. This would be appalling, if true, but does indicate the extent to which they can move around within Iraq.