Spain’s president José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero received a welcome boost to his foreign policy yesterday with the visit of Jacques Chirac to Spain. In what was billed as a summit meeting between the Spanish and French governments, the two presidents held a meeting in the morning, followed by a press conference and a walk around Zaragoza, the city chosen by Zapatero to host the meeting. Members of both governments also attended the summit, and had fringe meetings with their respectives.
For the first time in Spanish history, the central government invited the presidents of all the Spanish regions bordering with France to attend a Franco-Spanish summit meeting. Presidents Maragall (Catalonia), Sanz (Navarra) and Iglesias (Aragon) all accepted the invitation, and participated in the summit. One of the items on the agenda was to think how to improve air, rail and road connections over the border or, in the words of the Spanish government, «how to make the Pyrenees permeable».
The only regional president to refuse the invitation was Juan José Ibarretxe, who decided not to attend the meeting because, according to sources from the Basque government, he «wouldn’t be allowed to express his own opinion». The same sources did not explain how or why they had reached that conclusion. The participants who were present agreed to hold the first ever Franco-Spanish Border Regions Summit in 2005. Maybe the Basque Government will attend that one.
The press conference held after the summit was predictably affable. Chirac declared France’s support for the new Spanish foreign policy towards Cuba, and said that the recent liberation of Cuban dissidents by the Castro dictatorship was proof that Spain’s new approach was having a positive effect. Both presidents expressed their support for UN chairman Kofi Annan, accused by US republican senators recently of allowing corruption in the «oil for food» program.
Both Chirac and Zapatero said they believed the attacks to be unjustified.
President Zapatero is young and incredibly naive. To tie himself to the wily Chirac will do Spain no good. Spain as France’s lackey should offend anyone who has great affection for this proud and historically fascinating country. Wiser heads should advice the new president to proceed with more caution. In his haste to establish himself he is trying to be all things to all people.
I have to say that, despite the fact that I voted for him, I agree with you. The new Spanish president is naive, inexperienced and it is time that he started to think seriously about the image he is giving. Yesterday Santiago Carrillo (exiled leader of the Spanish communist party during the entire Franco dictatorship who is now 90, still incredibly articulate and sharp and respected by all quarters of Spanish society and politics) was interviewed on CNN+ and when asked about the new Spanish government he laughed. He said he felt affection towards this young, unexpected government whose inexperience leads its members to make mistakes but whose honesty means that they admit it. He said he was confident they would learn from their mistakes and grow. He said he preferred this fresh, honest approach to the arrogance of the previous government who never once admitted they had made a mistake and became «owners» of the truth.
In a sense I agree with him, but Zapatero must start to listen to experienced advisors if he is to gain the respect of the international community and consolidate his government in Spain. He should draw out a specific strategy with experienced Spanish statesmen (Solana, Gonzalez, King Juan Carlos…..) which goes beyond being the young rebel president of Spain and succeeds in gaining the respect of world leaders who, although they do not necessarily agree with his philosophy, respect his methods and his honesty.
But surely for the central government to not only accept and embrace the reality of regionalism but to make an international statement as well, is progressive. Here in Britain to charge our own government with naivety would be quite refreshing. Cynicism and manipulation is a poor alternative.