” Aznar took us many difficulties for withdrawal from Iraq ”

José Bono is retired from the political stage, ” I do not have any position or party,” he stresses, but that does not mean he is no longer interested in politics. These days he passes his time in his home town of Salobre (Albacete), where finishing the second volume of his memoirs, he collects his notes when he was defense minister (2004-2006) and he had to manage the controversial withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq.

Question: Who and when he decided to withdraw from Iraq?

Answer: The President Zapatero, announced a year before the 2004 election and was a very worthy reason: they could not participate in an illegal war to Pope Wojtyla, not suspected of leftism, was described as ” immoral”. Time has ratified the correctness of the decision.

Q. Why did you decide to do it immediately and not wait a few months?

A. Because it was an election commitment that could not be postponed. Now that questions the value of the policy, Zapatero made.  And it was not easy.

Q. Was there not the desirability of waiting a while to not upset Washington?

A. As Zapatero had said that if the UN could rethink the withdrawal, there were those who thought like Narcis Serra, Javier Solana or Felipe González, we should wait for the UN meeting in late June. Zapatero and I did not agree and so we decided to ask the governments of United States and United Kingdom if they would accept the UN took command. [ Secretary of Defense Donald ] Rumsfeld was categorical me. “In the U.S. soldiers sent their paymasters, who are our taxpayers and not the UN,” he said. When it became clear they would not accept it, all doubts were cleared.

Q. When you  knew you would be defense minister?

A. On March 17, a week after the election. Zapatero immediately ordered me to go to see Rumsfeld, Hoon [ British Defense Minister ] Berlusconi and my Polish counterpart, as were the countries most affected our withdrawal. All say that Spain will withdraw imminent, unless the UN takes over.

Q. The Government took office on Sunday, April 18, at what came in such a hurry?

A. Because on Monday 19 relay within regular troops that were in Iraq and had to send a new contingent to four months or order the withdrawal was met. But you could not order removal without defense minister Zapatero thought… even just take possession, but I said enough problems already to singularizarme that. So the government took over all.

P. The same day the withdrawal was announced…

A. Leaving the Zarzuela Palace, Zapatero asks me to go with him in the car to La Moncloa. We arrived at his office and with a certain formality says: ” Minister, I command you to return the Spanish soldiers and the relay quota is suspended.” From there I ‘ll Vitruvius [ Headquarters Staff of Defense ], I meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and transfer them to the president’s order.

Q. What was the attitude of the military commanders?

A. Obedience to the Government of all controls and professionalism of our military. It is true that some general shuffled and wanted out withdrawal relief, but at 14.56 pm on May 21 I called the General [ JOSÉ MANUEL ] Muñoz [key support contingent withdrawal ] from Kuwait to announce that that moment had just crossed the border the last Spanish soldier.

Q. Who reported it to Washington? How did you react?

A. Before becoming minister, April 5, 2004, went to the Pentagon and I announced Rumsfeld. “I come to inform you that we will withdraw from Iraq… the return of the Spanish troops can be done in very short time and you will be the first foreigner to know the exact date you initiate the withdrawal,” he said. Then it was not just because [ MIGUEL ANGEL ] Moratinos [ Foreign Minister] woke Collin Powell [ Secretary of State ] to inform a few hours before and Rumsfeld got angry.

Q. What were the consequences of the withdrawal in relations with the Bush administration?

R. A cooling period of misunderstanding and we were beating with loyalty to our allies but firmly in defense of our commitments to the Spaniards. Withdrawal bother them much but the invitation to other countries to follow the example of Spain deepened the problem.

Q. During the handover there was a serious deterioration of the security of the troops in Iraq. How do you live?

R. With tension, is evident. But the truth is that both the U.S. and UK were loyal and effectively helped to make the output with maximum security. There was not a remarkable incident.

Q. Trillo commit the PSOE tried to relay the troops in Iraq?

R. In the process of withdrawal of our troops behaved well Trillo. Who made ??it difficult, and not a few, was Aznar, who as chairman suspended the normal relieving troops to try to force us to delay the withdrawal.

On March 29, Zapatero had to send a letter: ” The safety of our soldiers in Iraq, forcing GB and his Government to comply with Spanish law. You can not harm without legal basis, the rights that have to be relieved troops in the dates were already planned by the Ministry of Defence. If V. E. is unable to fulfill its obligation as Prime Minister in office, and therefore not withdraw the suspension order medley of Spanish troops in Iraq, I suggest you start the precise procedures for our soldiers and their commanders back final Spain and urgently. Sincerely yours. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Secretary General of the PSOE. “

Q. Sending more troops to Afghanistan was a way to compensate for the withdrawal from Iraq?

R. The output of Iraq was a compromise with the Spaniards that had nothing to do with Afghanistan. When Zapatero was in the opposition supported the presence in Afghanistan because he had all the blessings of the UN. The increase was consistent with the previous attitude, although it is true that we also received the request of our allies and specifically, directly, President Bush, first, President Obama, then.

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