Durão Barroso considers Spain’s position on the Middle East conflict to be a “mistake”
"From the Spanish point of view, I think it's a mistake. It has managed to turn the entire Arab world against it", he says on the position of Pedro Sánchez's govt. on the US and Israeli offensive.
Durão Barroso was not surprised by the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, but admits that he did not expect Spain’s position. “From a Spanish point of view, I think it’s a mistake. It has alienated its relationship with the US, given that Spain is a member of NATO. It has managed to turn the entire Arab world against it. For the Americans, an ally like Spain did not support them at an important moment”, he said in an interview with RTP, stressing that “Portugal is considered a credible ally”.
Speaking to the country on Wednesday morning, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez argued that “Spain’s position is the same as in Ukraine or Gaza”. “No to the violation of international law that protects us all. No to resolving conflicts with bombs. No to war. The world has been through this before”, he added, referring to the war in Iraq 23 years ago, which deposed Saddam Hussein on the never-proven pretext that the country had weapons of mass destruction.
“That was the gift of the Azores trio: a more insecure world and a worse life”, said Pedro Sánchez, alluding to the meeting between Tony Blair, José Maria Aznar and George W. Bush at Lajes Air Base on Terceira Island, hosted by Durão Barroso, then Prime Minister of Portugal.
Regarding Portugal, Durão Barroso states that the conflict in the Middle East shows that the country remains important, particularly because of Lajes Air Base. “Nowadays, the Americans would never make an agreement like that [Lajes Air Base] again. It is a clear agreement: Lajes Air Base is Portuguese and the United States can use it under certain conditions”, he said in his interview with public television.
The former President of the European Commission believes that it is time for the European Union (EU) to stop being naive. “If we are talking about international law, it was Iran that started violating international law. The Americans and Israelis are also acting outside international law”, he pointed out.
He therefore admits that Europeans cannot be the only “vegetarians” in a world of “carnivores”. “We have to accept geopolitically that we are no longer a geopolitical teenager”, he said.
