Sánchez affirms in Congress that “patriotism means opposing an illegal war that in no way benefits the interests of Spaniards”

Eduardo González The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, reiterated this Wednesday in the plenary session of Congress his rejection of the “illegal war” in Iran, which is leading to “an absolute disaster” worldwide to which “the People’s Party and Vox have contributed with their support or their silence,” and warned the conservative opposition that “patriotism means opposing an illegal war that in no way benefits the interests of Spaniards.” In his response, the leader of the People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, asserted that Sánchez's "true motto" is "not 'no to war,' it's 'no to Congress,'" for not having convened the lower house before sending the frigate to Cyprus. He accused the Prime Minister of using "foreign policy to conceal his dying political project," while "Spain is losing its rightful place in the world." The Prime Minister began his remarks by recalling Spain's involvement in the Iraq War in 2003, when "less than six percent of Spaniards wanted Spain to join the conflict," and the then Prime Minister, José María Aznar, "dragged us into that madness because he wanted to feel important, because he wanted the then President of the United States, George Bush, to invite him for a cigar so he could put his feet up on the table." That conflict, he recalled, caused the deaths of “more than 300,000 people, many of them children and women,” and unleashed “a torrent of instability that spread throughout the region” and “precipitated the war in Syria, galvanized Al Qaeda, stimulated the creation of ISIS, and, paradoxically, greatly strengthened the Iranian regime of the ayatollahs.” “That was the gift of the Azores trio with their illegal war,” he denounced. “Over the years, some of the promoters of the illegal war in Iraq changed their position. Former President George Bush apologized for that illegal war. The British Prime Minister apologized for that illegal war. And what has former President Aznar said? That he regrets nothing and that he will never wage it again. That is the moral character of former President José María Aznar,” he asserted. “It is important to remember, not to forget, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Unfortunately, history repeats itself, but this time not as farce, but as tragedy, because Aznar has been replaced by Mr. Feijóo and Mr. Abascal, and Bush has been replaced by Donald Trump,” he stated. “And instead of Iraq, we have Iran, a country twice as populous as Iraq, with five times the weight on the global economy, and with more regular soldiers than Germany, France, and Italy combined,” he warned. In short, he continued, it is a “military power” that has been “preparing for a war like this for forty years” and possesses “highly advanced technologies capable of destroying aircraft in mid-flight, launching ballistic missiles from 4,000 kilometers away, and controlling the Strait of Hormuz despite the presence of the American fleet.” “We are not facing the same scenario as in the illegal war in Iraq; we are facing something much worse,” he asserted. According to Sánchez, prior to the February 28th offensive, negotiations between the United States and Iran had resulted in Tehran's commitment to "sign a new nuclear agreement substantially better than the one achieved by former President (Barack) Obama in 2015." "The US administration had this proposal in its hands and rejected it without explanation, and exactly two days later, on February 28th, began bombing Tehran alongside the government of (Israeli) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without notifying its allies, without legal authorization, and without a defined objective," denounced the Prime Minister, who asserted, citing "senior officials from US security agencies and departments," that Iran "did not have a structured program to manufacture nuclear weapons and, therefore, did not pose an imminent threat to the West." “What have the promoters of this illegal war achieved?” Sánchez asked. “They have undermined international law, destabilized the Middle East, reignited conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon, buried Gaza under rubble, encouraged the nuclear programs of Pakistan and North Korea, and given (Russian President Vladimir) Putin more than 8 billion euros to finance his war and invasion of Ukraine, thanks to the increase in fuel prices and the lifting of sanctions, also brought about by the US administration.” “And in Tehran,” he stated, this war has contributed to “replacing one Khamenei with another, even worse Khamenei, because Mukhtaba is just as dictatorial and even more bloodthirsty a leader than his father, and, unlike his father, he does support Iran developing nuclear weapons.” “To sum it up in a few words, this is an absolute disaster; that is what the promoters of this war have achieved to date, and that is what, in my opinion, the People's Party and Vox have contributed to with their support or their silence,” he denounced. In contrast, he asserted, the Spanish Government has “denied the United States the use of the Rota and Morón air bases for this illegal war,” because “we are a sovereign country that does not want to participate in illegal wars”; it has carried out “the largest evacuation in the history of Spain,” has sent humanitarian aid to several affected countries, such as Lebanon; it has reinforced the defense of European territory in Cyprus, “with the deployment of our most advanced frigate to the Eastern Mediterranean” and, as “at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, has approved a response plan to the war in the Middle East, thereby establishing, to date, the largest social safety net in the entire European Union.” Furthermore, he continued, the Government has accelerated the energy transition, “because if this crisis, or the crises caused by the wars in Ukraine and Iran, have demonstrated anything, it is that the less we depend on gas and oil, the more self-sufficient we will be as a country and the more resilient we will be to energy shocks like the ones we are currently experiencing.” He added that the Government has deployed “intense diplomatic activity to stop this war” because “we are convinced that international law, multilateralism, and diplomacy are the best tools available to stop war and foster peace.” “We say no to the unilateral breach of international law. We say no to repeating the mistakes of the past. We say no to disguising greed and political calculation as democracy. In short, we say no to war,” he declared. “The rules-based international order is not something that one can invoke or violate at will, because coherence and consistency are fundamental pillars of international law,” the Prime Minister warned. “We cannot demand respect for Greenland’s territorial integrity and remain silent when that same territorial integrity is violated in Gaza or Lebanon,” because “double standards do not create a fairer world, but a more insecure one,” he added. “The last thing the world needs is another war, and this time an illegal, absurd, cruel war that takes us further away from our economic, social, and environmental goals,” he warned. “Patriotism means opposing an illegal war that in no way benefits the interests of Spaniards, nor those of Europeans,” Pedro Sánchez asserted, addressing the People’s Party (PP) and Vox directly. “Today, fortunately, Spain is an international leader in the defense of peace and international law,” he concluded. Feijóo and Abascal In his speech, Alberto Núñez Feijóo asserted that “what is happening in the world is more complex than being close to or far from Trump; I wish it were that simple.” “It is about defending Spain’s interests, protecting European unity, and the only instrument we have to guarantee our security is NATO. Or do you have another? Some alternative international power with which you want to ally yourself? Perhaps one of the countries you will be visiting next month?” he asked, referring to Sánchez’s upcoming official trip to China. “If your aim is to change allies, say so, but if we remain in NATO, your duty is to behave as a reliable partner,” he warned. “You have made Spain more dependent on the United States than ever before in military, energy, and technological matters,” he added. “Can you tell us where international law stands when Iran executes thousands upon thousands of lesbians or dissidents? A true pacifist feels the same pain when a dissident is murdered in Tehran as when one is murdered in Caracas,” he continued. “Let me summarize our position: no to war and no to you,” he stated. “The most shameful of all these maneuvers is your attempt to use the international context to continue mocking the Spanish people. You've told them you can't approve the budget because of the war, three years without it, and you're hiding behind a conflict that started three weeks ago,” he denounced. “You didn't send Ada Colau's flotilla to Cyprus, no. You sent two Spanish Navy ships, one of them our best military frigate, loaded with torpedoes and carrying 200 sailors, to whom I want to express our gratitude, along with their families, all done behind the backs of this chamber,” he continued. “His real motto isn’t ‘no to war.’ His real motto is ‘no to Congress.’” “The worst part is that, while he uses foreign policy to hide his dying political project, Spain is losing its rightful place in the world,” Feijóo concluded. For his part, the leader of the far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, stated that the Prime Minister “likes war, he likes pandemics, he likes floods, he likes storms, because with any disaster Mr. Sánchez takes advantage to line his pockets with his partners and to cover up his corruption.” “Like the worst warmongers in history, Mr. Sánchez wants war because the noise of explosions hides his corruption, his crimes, his betrayals, and the situation to which he has condemned the Spanish people. The bombs from abroad prevent people from talking about what is happening inside,” he added. Sumar From Sumar, the junior partner in the coalition government, its spokesperson in Congress, Verónica Martínez Barbero, warned that this war “is not a passing crisis” and will not be “a short war.” “We are facing an escalation that threatens to drag on, further destabilize the region, leave thousands dead and millions displaced, and generate a very negative economic impact on our society, on prices, energy, and fuel.” “The warmonger, Donald Trump, has no way out, no plan. He says one thing and then the opposite, improvises and lies, and in this headlong rush, he threatens Europe and Spain,” she asserted. “This is a war orchestrated by Israel, by Netanyahu,” she denounced. “The White House, led by religious fundamentalists, white supremacists, racists, and self-proclaimed enlightened individuals, has decided to embark on the expansionist adventure of Zionism, which seeks to create Greater Israel,” she affirmed. These criminals have the support of the White House, and here in Spain, they have the support of the PP and Vox,” of “the right and the far right,” who “are complicit in this barbarity, this cruelty, the murder of children,” she continued. “The moment Trump utters a word, you fall to attention. The moment Netanyahu tightens the screws, you remain silent. Lots of talk about the flag, lots of patriotism, lots of armbands, but when push comes to shove, you don't defend Spain; you look for a master for it,” she denounced. Therefore, “as spokesperson for Sumar, I must say that I am proud that our government stood firm from the very beginning and said unequivocally ‘no to war.’ We have said no to the criminal Russian invasion of Ukraine.” “We said no to the genocide in Gaza, and now we say no to the war against Iran and Lebanon.” “This is called consistency, it’s called having a foreign policy based on international law and respect for human rights,” she stated. “For the sake of consistency, Mr. President, you know that we disagree with you regarding the Sahara, and that is why, for the sake of consistency, I want to focus for a moment on Cuba,” where “what is happening is a criminal blockade, a medieval siege against an entire people, a crime prohibited by international law,” Martínez Barbero asserted. “What oil does Cuba have? What threats does Cuba pose to the United States? None. This isn’t about security; it’s about pure humiliation, an exercise in bullying, the obscene pleasure of punishing a people who refuse to kneel,” she denounced.

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