A Franco-Spaniard-German Axis
Rashid Khashana Al-Hayat 2004/09/20
After Madrid Summit, which gathered Zapatero, Schroeder, and Chirac, we could say that Spain has completely turned its back on America, and headed towards the heart of Europe. The summit came as a confirmation that Zapatero was not content with pulling Spain out of the American barn, but started pursuing a European policy that would strengthen the European position, and weaken and isolate British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Perhaps the leaders' summit did not launch a new axis; however, it put an end to the picture established in the Azores Summit, which took place prior to the war on Iraq. After winning the legislative elections last March, Zapatero promised to get Spain out of "Azores' picture", by giving an allusion to the "historical" meeting between George W. Bush and the PMs of Britain, Spain, and Portugal. As mush as Zapatero moved away from Bush, he got closer to the stance of the Spanish and European popular majority, which opposed the war and still demands putting an end to it.
Thus, Madrid's Summit failed the metaphorical meeting between the "old Europe" and the "young Europe", which was created by Rumsfeld's imagination; it showed that "the old" still glows with liveliness, and is much more active than the young. While the train of the American strategy is sinking in the Iraqi mud and wandering in an inescapable impasse, the European strategy, led by Schroeder and Chirac, gained back its harmony and consistency. The statements of Zapatero, who insists on opposing the Americans in the Iraqi file, indicated a general European feeling that the direction of international winds changed to their best interest. This was clear in the Spanish leader's request to the countries that sent troops to Iraq, to adopt the Spanish model and immediately withdraw from Iraq; it was also clear when he publicly accused Bush and Blair of hiding the real motives behind the war.
Hence, the absence of the British PM from the Madrid Summit is understandable, as this was not a European summit, as mush as it was a meeting for the opponents of the war on Iraq. On the other hand, the summit failed Blair's vision, which calls for a European triangle with London, Paris, and Bonn as its major axis. This vision would not be accomplished as long as there are essential disagreements of the type of dealing with the Iraqi file. It seemed obvious today that the Europeans are capable of managing their disagreements concerning Germany's allowed amount of budget deficit, or even the European constitution, but not the Iraqi issue.
As much as Britain shrank and its regional role identified became isolated, Spain's European role grew, and started assuring that it does not only support the European choice, but is the most enthusiastic about it. Its diligent attempt to host the first Euro-Mediterranean Summit, which will be held at the end of next year, is one of the indications about the strong return to the European platform. This does not mean that there are no disagreements between France and Germany, the two major European partners, but means that these could be absorbed and solved, as Zapatero promised to honestly discuss them "whenever they arise".
The Madrid Summit reflected the European agenda of this stage, which is made up of three major points: fighting the spread of terrorism, the European constitution, and Turkey's request to join the European Union. Its marginal negotiations aim at finalizing common policies in the fields of international affairs, defense, and security, which would strengthen Europe's independence from the international American strategy. In the field of fighting terrorism, Zapatero suggested that fighting terrorism does not happen through war, and more specifically through preventive war, but through using lawful methods, in addition to the necessity of treating the phenomenon's political and social reasons. There could be a German-French-Spanish agreement over this vision, and over the stance vis-à-vis major issues raised on the international scene. Nevertheless, finalizing a new axis, with the three capitals as its main members, cannot be asserted because their relations are complicated and subject to internal pressures that differ from one country to another.
Arabs certainly wish for a European axis to be finalized, which would restrain Bush's hysterical policy in Iraq and Palestine. Zapatero adopted the establishment of complete coordination with Berlin and France as the basic of his government, and insisted on visiting the two capitals as soon as he became PM, in an attempt to strengthen the independent European stance. However, the great disagreement with London and Rome makes it preemptive to talk about the possibility of bringing about an independent European strength.
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