The PP criticizes Sánchez’s “no to war” stance, and Albares calls it the “party of the Iraq war”

Eduardo González The Middle East conflict has once again fueled the extreme political polarization in Spain. On one hand, the People's Party has accused the government of resorting to "no to war," a "slogan that is more than 20 years old," to "put its partisan interests before the interests of Spain." On the other hand, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has accused the party led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo of "lack of patriotism" and warned them that "there is a time to be in opposition and another to be Spain." The spokesperson for the People's Party in Congress, Ester Muñoz, declared this Thursday that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez "has put his partisan interests before the interests of Spain" and denounced the "frivolous" use of "no to war" to gain electoral advantage. “If you want peace, what you have to do is deter those who want to attack you, and that's what our European partners are doing, while we remain on the sidelines,” she declared. According to Muñoz, Sánchez “is running out of options” and, therefore, has had to resurrect “a slogan that's over 20 years old.” “He has started a battle against Donald Trump, and we don't know how it will end,” she warned. “Has Sánchez consulted on this entire geostrategic issue with the high command of the Spanish Army and Armed Forces? Has he consulted with Spanish diplomats? I highly doubt it,” she added. Meanwhile, in statements to the program ‘Las Mañanas’ on Radio Nacional de España, Albares insisted that the Rota and Morón bases will not be used for the United States' military purposes and that Spain's position is “no to war.” He also asserted that it is not true that the government has been left isolated in its rejection of the offensive in Iran and the use of the Rota and Morón bases. “Those who are isolated are them,” who have once again become “the party of the Iraq War,” he stated, referring to the PP (People's Party). “They are isolated above all from the Spanish people and from the majority opinion and sentiment of our citizens, who are against the war,” he added. “There is a time to be in opposition and a time to be Spain,” he warned. “The PP is even lacking patriotism and loyalty to the Government, which can be demanded of them, and loyalty to the Spanish people, which is obligatory,” Albares asserted. Furthermore, the Spanish Foreign Minister criticized Feijóo for having “found time to call the US Secretary of State,” Marco Rubio (with whom he had a telephone conversation on February 23), “but has not found time to call the Spanish Foreign Minister to tell him what he said.”

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