Posted on 09/12/2004 4:32:36 PM PDT by Nepalis
TUNIS (Reuters) - Spain's prime minister said on Thursday other countries should follow Spain's example and pull out their troops from Iraq.
"I can only say that the decision to withdraw the troops was a very correct decision," Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told a news conference on a visit to Tunis.
"I view the situation today with profound concern. All respect to all the countries that are there, but if there were more decisions along the lines of the Spanish government's, more favourable prospects would be opened up," he said.
Zapatero won a surprise election victory in March, three days after 191 people were killed in attacks claimed by a group linked to Islamic militants al Qaeda. He announced the withdrawal of Spain's 1,300 troops a day after taking office.
Foreign critics, including the Australian government, have accused Spain of giving in to terrorism but Zapatero said he was just fulfiling a long-standing election pledge.
Ninety percent of Spaniards were opposed to the previous Popular Party government's support of the U.S.-led war.
Militants have taken dozens of foreigners hostage in Iraq, with some demanding governments pull out of the country. The Philippines withdrew its troops to save the life of a hostage while others such as Italy have refused to give in.
Norway, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic withdrew their small contingents around the same time as Spain.
The last few days have seen a surge in attacks and clashes in Iraq that have pushed the official Pentagon U.S. death toll for the war to above 1,000.
If everyone followed Spain's example and pulled out of Iraq, then what? Does terrorism go away? Will the Islamofascists leave everyone alone? I bet not; it'll get worse.
I wonder what his grand kids will think of him in 20 years when he goes down in history as another Socialist failure and coward. My, would I be real proud of ol' gramps!
It will motivate the terrorists to become even bolder. The appeasers will be terribly surprised when they are issued their burkahs.
Zapatero needs to mind his own freakin' business. Must be he doesn't have enough to keep himself busy, he has to stick his nose where it doesn't belong.
The shoemaker has the blood of innocents on his hands. All those people happily killed by terrorists with the anticipation that it will affect elections, because it worked in Spain, such as the Chechens that murdered two planeloads of people before the last Russian election.
I fully expect terrorists to try and attack us just before our elections, and I will consider Spain to be at least partly to blame.
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