AZNAR DENIES CASABLANCA ATTACKS DUE TO SPANISH SUPPORT OF IRAQI INVASION

Edition: 323
Date: 19-05-03

Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar denied that the bomb attacks in Morocco on Friday night were related to Spain’s support for the United States in the war on Iraq, and hinted that opposition politicians suffered from selective memory. After the attacks, PSOE and IU leaders accused the government of having endangered Spanish interests by its attitude to the Iraqi crisis, a claim which Sr. Aznar strongly refuted, reminding the opposition that an attack had taken place in Marrakesh in 1994, while the socialists were in power, and remarking that sometimes people wanted to lose their memory over certain incidents. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ramón Gil-Casares, also stressed that Friday’s attacks were unrelated to the government’s support for the U.S.A over Irak, but he also insisted that if some link was found between the two, the Spanish government would still not change its foreign policy. In his view, the Spanish position on Iraq was not a determining factor in the Moroccan tragedy because one of the terrorist objectives was the Belgian Embassy, and Belgium did not form part of the coalition against Saddam Hussein. The Belgian authorities, however, have pointed out that the attacks were aimed at an Italian restaurant with Jewish owners, not at their Embassy which is situated nearby, and some Spanish newspapers have countered the Prime Minister’s remarks about the Marrakesh incident in 1994 by saying that it targeted tourism in general whereas one of Friday’s attacks was aimed at a social centre owned by a Spanish national, whose restaurant was frequented by Spanish people. Foreign Minister Ana Palacio was due to travel to Morocco on Sunday to offer Spain’s cooperation to the authorities there, and Interior Minister Ángel Acebes telephoned his Moroccan counterpart to offer assistance. While the U.S.A. and Britain have warned their populations to be careful if travelling to Morocco because of their involvement in the Iraqi war, Spain only recommended that travellers in Morocco take normal precautions due to the current international situation and did not indicate that there could be a risk to Spanish nationals because their country formed part of the coalition.