Zapatero Affirms No Return for Spanish Troops to Iraq
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Zapatero Affirms No Return for Spanish Troops to Iraq
- In May 2004, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero stated that Spain would not send troops back to Iraq, even if under UN or NATO authority, following the withdrawal of approximately 1,300 Spanish soldiers that concluded in April 2004.
- Zapatero's decision, fulfilling a key election promise after his Socialist party's victory in March 2004, reversed the previous conservative government's policy of supporting the US-led invasion.
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In May 2004, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero declared that Spanish troops would not return to Iraq. This statement came after the full withdrawal of Spain’s 1,300-strong military contingent, known as the Plus Ultra Brigade, which was completed in April 2004. The withdrawal was a direct result of Zapatero’s electoral campaign promise, a pledge he made after his Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) won the general elections on March 14, 2004.
Spain’s previous conservative government, led by Prime Minister José María Aznar of the Popular Party, had been a staunch ally of the United States and the United Kingdom in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, despite widespread public opposition in Spain. Polls indicated that over 90% of Spaniards were against the war. Zapatero’s decision to withdraw troops was announced on April 18, 2004, just hours after his government took office, and was completed in less than a month.
The quick pullout drew criticism from some coalition partners, including the US and Australia, but was largely supported by the Spanish population. Zapatero’s government emphasized that the mission of the Spanish troops in Iraq was complete and that there was no justification for their return, even under a United Nations or NATO mandate. This move signaled a significant shift in Spain’s foreign policy, aiming to distinguish its stance from the Bush administration’s Iraq policy. The withdrawal also fostered closer ties between Spain and European nations like Germany and France, which had opposed the Iraq invasion.