By Tito Drago
MADRID, Jun 13 2001 (IPS)

Spain’s Prime Minister José María Aznar and US President George W. Bush declared their two nations “faithful allies” Tuesday, though discrepancies persist in their policies on the environment and capital punishment.

Bush spent Tuesday in Madrid, the first leg of a five-nation European tour that will include a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his stop in Slovenia.

The US leader met privately with Aznar over lunch at a rural estate 100 km from the capital. The two then gave a joint news conference at the prime minister’s official residence in Madrid.

At the end of the afternoon, the Bush headed to the US embassy, escorted by a hundred Spanish police and by US security agents, while demonstrators convened by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) staged a loud but peaceful protest outside.

The NGOs called on Bush to protect the environment and the US Congress to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement signed in 1997 and intended to curb emissions of the so-called greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

The demonstrators also protested the death penalty in the United States, which was applied in a notorious case Monday against Timothy McVeigh, found guilty of the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma that killed 168 people

Other targets of NGO criticism were the Bush administration’s plans for a missile defence system and the US policy in the Middle East, largely because of Washington’s continued support of Israel.

The two leaders signed a declaration proclaiming “a close friendship” between Spain and the United States, and indicating that the world faces “a growing threat (from) the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”

Bush stressed that the possibility exists that some country could manufacture a new high-tech weapon and use it against his country, Europe or Russia, leading Aznar to express his comprehension of the US president’s decision to pursue the creation of an anti-missile shield.

“It has not been proven that Bush’s defence initiative cannot produce greater security,” said the Spanish prime minister. As such, it is important that the US president “discuss (missile defence system) with the allies and establish a framework of relations with Russia (because) it involves providing greater security,” he added.

On the matter of the environment, Bush justified his refusal to seek ratification of the Kyoto Protocol arguing that the treaty is “unrealistic”, is not based on sound scientific principles and does not impose emissions reduction targets on developing countries.

The Protocol, approved at an international conference in Japan four years ago, grants special status to developing countries, the majority of which support the treaty. The United States is responsible for 25 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, compared to the developing countries’ combined 15 percent.

Nevertheless, Bush assured that he would reach common ground with the European leaders at the US-EU summit this week in Sweden, that the United States would take steps to prevent global warming and to foment the use of renewable energy sources.

One of Bush’s statements proved particularly gratifying to the Spanish authorities, that “terrorism is a true threat” to global security and human rights.

Though the president did not mention the Basque separatist group ETA by name, sources close to the US delegation reported that Washington is planning to provide technical assistance to Spain’s anti-terrorist forces.

Bush, in his rudimentary Spanish, paid tribute to Hispanicism. “Five-hundred million people speak the language of Cervantes and many live in the United States. We are the heirs of Spanishness,” he said.

His praise, however, did not prevent widespread commentary about his gaffe in pronouncing the Spanish prime minister’s name as Anzar, instead of Aznar.

Beyond Bush’s stance on the Kyoto Protocol, two other matters underscored the differences between the two leaders: the death penalty in the United States and military bases in Spain.

Bush, an outspoken defender of the death penalty, said that this form of punishment would not be eliminated in his country because “the death penalty is the will of the people in the United States.”

At the joint press conference, Aznar stated that he is personally opposed to the death penalty and that Spain has abolished capital punishment. His position has the support of Spain’s political parties, labour unions and non-governmental groups.

Another point of contention is Spain’s desire to renegotiate with Washington the treaty regulating the US navy fleet’s use of the Rota naval base, located on the Atlantic coast, near the Strait of Gibraltar.

Madrid wants the treaty to instruct US vessels to dock at Spanish shipyards in Cádiz for maintenance and repairs instead. The commitment obtained Tuesday is that the parties will continue negotiations, with sights on concluding by the end of the year.

Both government leaders avoided making public statements about two items they discussed in private and about which they continue to disagree. The first is the US economic embargo against Cuba, which Spain and the rest of the European Union reject.

The other is the US policy towards the Middle East, where the Spanish government is party to a peace process that respects the rights of the Palestinian people, while the United States traditionally throws its support behind Israel.

Bush continues his six-day European tour, which includes stops in Belgium, Sweden, Poland and Slovenia.

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