SPAIN: Spain's new Prime Minister said in an interview published yesterday that it was more important to remain at the heart of Europe than quibble over voting rights in an EU constitution that he said would be signed by mid-year.
Mr José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said Spain aimed to be "at the motor of Europe", reversing the policy of his predecessor, Mr José María Aznar, who forged strong ties with the US but blocked the draft EU charter.
"We will reach an agreement; there will be a European constitution under the Irish presidency," Mr Zapatero told El Mundo.
Ireland holds the EU presidency until June 30th.
Under Mr Aznar's leadership, Spain, together with Poland, was one of the main opponents of the draft EU constitution because it threatened to reduce Madrid's and Warsaw's power in Brussels.
Mr Aznar clung to a weighted voting system he negotiated at Nice in 2000 which handed Spain power disproportionate to its population.
Asked whether his government would try to defend the Nice treaty, Mr Zapatero replied: "The weight of our leadership [in Europe\] is more important than having 0.5 more votes when it comes to calculating a minority veto."
The Socialist leader acknowledged that US President George Bush had expressed disappointment at the swift announcement of the withdrawal of Spain's 1,400 troops from Iraq last Sunday.
He reiterated that Spain would only allow its troops to serve abroad on peacekeeping missions with international backing.
"Peacekeeping operations with the United Nations, yes. Unilateral and preventative wars, no," he told El Mundo. - (Reuters)