Spain Snubs US As France Joins the Big Parade

[Gloria]

5//The Telegraph, UK (Filed: 06/10/2004)

http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=RDHXQQVWNQEDPQFIQMFSM54AVCBQ0JVC?xml=/news/2004/10/06/wspain06.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/10/06/ixworld.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=22028

SPAIN SNUBS US AS FRANCE JOINS THE BIG PARADE

By Isambard Wilkinson in Madrid

The Spanish government snubbed the United States yesterday by cancelling an annual invitation to US troops to join the celebrations of Spain's national holiday parade and instead invited French soldiers to Madrid.

The Spanish defence minister, Jose Bono, told the COPE radio station there would be no Americans in this year's "fiesta nacional" which commemorates the day on which Christopher Columbus sighted the New World.

The national day "is not the national holiday of the United States, and no one is under any obligation to see the flag of another country in the parade, though it is a friend and an ally for sure," said Mr Bono. "This is in no way an insult nor a sign of contempt towards the United States."

However, the minister then added that Spain was "no longer subordinated" and "kneeling" before Washington. "With Bush, peace and liberty have not exactly triumphed," he said. Then in reference to the former prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, who was often lampooned as a puppet of President Bush, Mr Bono said the new Socialist administration wanted to "show its sovereignty".

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[Gloria]

1. The full World Media Watch is available at this DU link:

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2. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=885538