MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Socialist Spain returns to the EU flock

The surprise victory of the Socialists in Spain, and defeat of staunch allied Jose Aznar, comes as a new challenge for the George Bush administration and its Iraq policy.

The next Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has promised to bring Spanish troops home by late June, unless the United Nations takes control of the reconstruction and peacekeeping effort in Iraq.

Mr. Rodríguez Zapatero who led the opposition to the Aznar government's support of the U.S.-led war in Iraq said in his first public appearance after Sunday's victory that "the military intervention was a mistake". Outgoing conservative Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar support of Washington in Iraq also created problems for Spain with the two main European Union partners, France and Germany which insistently opposed the war and were described by US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as the "old Europe".

During the campaign, the Socialists underscored the need for a "strong and autonomous" Europe that would still recognize "the importance of trans-Atlantic dialogue on balanced and autonomous terms" with the United States.

From now on said Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain will be "more Europe-oriented than ever ... it's going to reacquaint itself with Europe" and restore "magnificent relations" with France and Germany.

"We'll have a greater cooperation in security issues with the EU, particularly in the fight against terrorism".

The Socialists also want to promote warmer ties with Latin America, vowing to treat Spain's former colonies as equals, and promising greater involvement in the Ibero-American Community of Nations supporting pacts negotiated by the EU with the Mercosur, the Andean Community and Central America.

The future president also stressed the importance of dialogue and cooperation with the Mediterranean, particularly fostering closer ties with Morocco

Mr. Rodriguez Zapatero anticipated a more orderly immigration policy "... legality will be the norm and irregularity the exception", adding that special attention will be given to the 40,000 undocumented Argentines living in Spain.