Spain to temporarily withdraw diplomatic staff from Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031104/wl_mideast_afp/spain_iraq_withdraw&cid=1514&ncid=1473

MADRID (AFP) - Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio said Spain was temporarily withdrawing its diplomatic staff from Baghdad because of the extremely complicated state of affairs in Iraq.

"We have temporarily withdrawn people from Baghdad at this very complicated time (but) they will return soon," Palacio told Spanish media from Berlin, where she is attending a German-Spanish summit.

Palacio said charge d'affaires Eduardo de Quesada was the only Spanish diplomat who would remain in the country's mission in Baghdad for the moment.

The Spanish government's decision to send 1,250 Spanish troops to Iraq to aid reconstruction after earlier throwing its support behind the US-led war to unseat former president Saddam Hussein met with widespread popular disapproval.

more

[Bob3]

1. More progress

N/T

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

2. I eagerly await Spain's general election

Will Aznar get the boot? Or won't he? Oh the suspense. :evilgrin:

(I have dual citizenship, Brazil & Spain)

[el_gato]

6. lucky you

Europe and south america, must be nice

[hang a left]

3. "they will return soon". Indeed.

[Divernan]

4. Spain - the country formerly known as "willing", as in coalition of the.

nt

[0007]

5. In other words....

see ya later junior, we're going for some refried beans.

[LittleApple81]

10. Spain does not "do" refried beans. It "does" tortilla" which is made with

eggs and potatoes.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. My oh my. Potato tortilla.

The most addictive food known to mankind. Mmmmmm. Was stardard dinner throughout my childhood and teens. I must have eaten, what? 10,000 tortillas, maybe.

On edit: typo.

[UpInArms]

7. what a tremendous statement of

complete faith in their mission - oh those silly coalition members are so supportive of the progress in the daily death toll and security that has been made :crazy:

[bushisanidiot]

8. Aznar Trying to Save Himself for Re-election

it's an unjust, illegal, bloody war and the spaniards know it.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

9. So, who's left in the coalition. Samoa?

[jmcgowanjm]

11. This Can't Go On-Krugman

In September the Congressional Budget Office
analyzed how many U.S. soldiers could be kept
in Iraq without extending tours beyond one year.
The conclusion was that force levels would have
to start dropping rapidly about five months from
now, and that the forces in Iraq and Kuwait would
eventually have to shrink by almost two-thirds. As
the report explains, the Pentagon can use various
expedients to maintain a larger force in Iraq, but
all of these expedients would threaten to
undermine our military readiness.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/04/opinion/04KRUG.html

[jmcgowanjm]

12. This ain't Vietnam-it's Afghanistan1979

I do love Memphis
This from the MemphisFlyer.
Well Researched and to the point
w/ excellent military links/Assessments

http://www.memphisflyer.com/onthefly/onthefly_new.asp?ID=2644

Soon the superpower’s casualties begin to grow,
and, although the superpower brings the body bags
(transfer tubes) home quietly, out of the spotlight, the people back home begin to notice.

In the end, it took ten years and the death of 25,000
of its young men at the hands of the Afghan mujahedin
fighters before the Soviet Union decided to give up the
fight and leave Afghanistan.

[Paschall]

13. I'm sure Bremer can't be too upset

Besides a bad headline for a news cycle, what does this really mean? I don't suppose the Spanish diplomats were issuing many visas to Spain. Probably providing a little support for Spanish troops. But I'd think their biggest activity would have been coordinating commercial ventures between Iberia and Iraq. With 'em gone, it's more moolah for the Yanks.

[Laughing Mirror]

14. for understatement "widespread popular disapproval" is a beaut

virtually unanimous disapproval would be closer to the truth

remember last winter when millions of Spanish people turned out in the streets to protest?

if memory serves, polls there showed some 90 to 95 percent were opposed to invasion in the first place