Spanish Prime Minister Pays Visit to Iraq

[Judi Lynn]

Spanish Prime Minister Pays Visit to Iraq

Saturday December 20, 2003 2:01 PM


By MICHELLE FAUL

Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The Spanish prime minister paid a brief, surprise visit Saturday to his country's soldiers in Iraq, affirming his support for the occupation as the United States said it was deploying more troops.

Also, U.S. forces mistakenly fired on Iraqi policemen manning a checkpoint in northeast Iraq, killing three officers and wounding two, local police said. And in an apparent revenge campaign, attackers separately killed two people with close ties to the former regime of Saddam Hussein.

In a trip reminiscent of President Bush's Thanksgiving Day visit, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar landed in Iraq at about 11 a.m. with a 16-member delegation to meet with member of the 1,300-strong Spanish contingent in Iraq, based in the southern town of Diwaniyah. He left four hours later.

The trip was so secret that soldiers in the mess didn't know Aznar was there until his visit was announced over a megaphone and the prime minister walked in. (snip)

(snip) He depicted the soldiers' mission as being part of a broad, global campaign against terrorism. "The safety of Spain is also defended in Iraq," he said. (snip/...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3530054,00.html

:silly: :crazy:


Aznar