Press conference by Foreign Minister of Spain

 

The focus of Spain’s new foreign policy involved enhancing multilateralism, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyaube said at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.  That was why his country’s Prime Minister had called for an “an alliance of cultures” at the General Assembly.  Such an alliance would help resolve cultural and religious differences between the Western and Muslim worlds.

Telling correspondents that his country had been active in the Security Council, he noted that the Council had just accepted Spain’s proposal for the body to address the civilian aspects of crisis management and peacekeeping.  Spain had also participated in today’s Council meeting on Darfur, which had stressed the importance of cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union.  Emphasizing the importance of United Nations reform, he said his country was part of the Group of Friends that served as a focal point for recommendations on Security Council reform.

He said that, throughout this week, his delegation had sought to place emphasis on three areas:  the Maghreb, where Spain was working to promote stability and a solution to the lengthy dispute in Western Sahara; Latin America, which involved the planning of the next Ibero-American Summit; and the Middle East, which he had been discussing with his Israeli, Jordanian, Egyptian and Palestinian counterparts, in the hopes of contributing to peace efforts in that region.

Asked whether his country’s decision to withdraw its troops from Iraq encouraged terrorists, he said the move had come because the Spanish people had called for it.  Nevertheless, Spain and the United States were allies who were both committed to the struggle against terrorism.  He added that, although his country’s troops were no longer present in Iraq, Spain would continue to make political and economic contributions to the Iraqi people and Government.  Those would include financial support for elections, which he said must be held as soon as possible.  He said that anyone who suggested that Spain was not helping Iraq should realize that his country was actually one of the biggest donors.

Requested to explain his position on Security Council reform, he said that having a more democratic, representative Council would not increase the body’s credibility if its resolutions continued to be flouted.  Nevertheless, reform was essential, and the expansion of non-permanent members should take place, as long as all Member States reached consensus.  He also suggested that other bodies of the United Nations think about reforming themselves as well.

Responding to a question about how the plight of Cuban dissidents was affecting the island’s relationship with Spain, he said he had met with his Cuban counterpart yesterday in an effort to move towards rapprochement.

In response to a question on Iran, he said the country should realize what the consequences would be if it did not respect the resolution recently adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  Spain stood behind the IAEA’s decision.  However, he also supported the use of diplomacy to show Iran that it would be better for it to cooperate fully with the Agency.

He rejected yesterday’s allegations by the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea that Spain had militarily and monetarily backed a coup plot in the African country, saying that Spain would not even permit anyone to use its territory to plan such a coup.

Asked why his country had recently cancelled the sale of 46 tanks to Colombia, he said the contract had been outdated, unclear, and unfavourable to both Colombia and Spain.

Questioned about six Basque prisoners who were being held in Mexico, he said his Mexican counterpart had reassured him that all efforts would be made to extradite them to Spain.

Fielding an inquiry about statements made by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on autonomy for Darfur, he said such discussions were better left to the parties involved and the mediators in Abuja.  He added that Nigeria was showing a new face of Africa, one that involved a strong African Union, dedicated to solving its own problems.

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