MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Blair reveals “family” diplomacy in helping reach understanding on Gibraltar

The former British PM has only words of praise for Jose Aznar and his successor Rodriguez Zapatero

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Spanish counterpart Jose Maria Aznar shared a tongue in cheek anecdote about Gibraltar during a family get together in Spain. The story is contained in Mr Blair's bestselling memoirs 'A Journey' that has just hit the bookshops in UK and is reported in the Gibraltar Chronicle.

Describing Jose Aznar as a generous host “with enormous kindness and effusive goodwill” Blair writes that he sent his wife Cherie, children and mother-in-law to Spain ahead of his own arrival, as he was engaged in negotiations over Northern Ireland.

Upon arrival in Spain two days later after achieving the peace breakthrough in Ulster, Mr Blair writes that after getting a good night's sleep he went in search of his host “only to find him alarmingly closeted with my mother-in -law.”

“Oh you needn't have bothered turning up,” she said. “We’ve sorted everything”

“Sorted what?” asked Mr Blair. “Gibraltar of course,” she replied.

The former British Prime Minister was impressed with the treatment afforded by Sr Aznar to his family and said this “formed the basis of a lasting personal friendship that had important consequences at a later date”.

The publication of the Blair memoirs has provoked keen interest in political and journalistic circles in Spain where the book is also poised to become a bestseller.

The media has already seized on comments about former Spanish President José María Aznar made in the book.

Mr Blair describes Sr Aznar as a 'tough negotiator' in Brussels, noting how the latter obtained a special position for Spain in the Amsterdam Treaty.

He tells a story of how the Spanish President put his conditions on the table and then said he was going out to smoke. When Mr Blair went out to try and get Aznar to be more flexible, Aznar showed him the many cigarettes he still had in his packet to smoke. Blair notes that Aznar got what he wanted.

The Spanish media has often spoken of the photo in the Azores where George W. Bush and Mr Blair were joined by José María Aznar, as the decision was confirmed to invade Iraq.

Mr Blair writes: “José María Aznar told me that in Spain only 4% were in favour of military action, and I told him that this was more or less the percentage you would get if you asked the people if they thought that Elvis Presley was still alive.”

Mr Blair states that Sr Aznar was resolved to stand firm next to United States.

“He believed, like me, that the possibility of a link between the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorist groups was too real to accept, and that the time had come to stand up to the Saddam regime, which would have turned to such weapons.”

Mr Blair also makes a brief mention of current Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, when the two met in Singapore for the announcement of the 2012 Olympic Games.

“Despite my friendship with Aznar he always behaved very well with me, and was obviously an intelligent politician.”

Meanwhile Sr Aznar has been taking part this week in the World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem where he has criticised Barack Obama for looking for new relations with the Muslim World, while at the same time “punishing his traditional allies”.

He attacked Obama for “searching for a new relationship with the Muslim world” describing him as “projecting an image of someone who wants to escape from his problems.”

Expressing guarded optimism about the new Middle East peace talks process, currently under way between the Israelis and Palestinians in Washington, Sr Aznar said: “Obama is hugging the enemies of the United States and punishing his allies.”

Sr Aznar said he doubted that Obama could defend the lifestyle of the west, because “he has put forces into action which if not corrected could redefine the nation and its place in the world to such an extent that he could cause us all major problems”.

Sr Aznar started his speech condemning the terrorist attack on Tuesday which resulted in the death of four Israelis. He said that the need to defend the state of Israel ”is the same as defending our liberal system”.