"Spain and the United States Today"
a Commentary Published in ABC newspaper on April 10, 2002
by Ambassador George L. Argyros
When US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Foreign Minister Piqué sign the
Protocol of Amendment to the bilateral
Agreement on Defense Cooperation on Wednesday, they will take our long and
relationship into the twenty-first century. This agreement, together with the Declaration of Principles,
will lay out a road map for defense cooperation
between our two countries for the next decade, and beyond. At a time when the
threat of global terrorism seeks to destabilize, these agreements make sure our
countries are prepared to respond to the threats of the future.
We are following the same path we have been on since the end of the Cold War, a path that seeks
to create stability through the joint efforts of countries that share democratic
values. Spain has long understood this and has been a key voice within Europe
for strengthening transatlantic ties – making this a major goal of its EU
presidency.
Spain, like the United States, is a country with an Atlantic vision. The great ocean, which others
have seen as a barrier, Spain has seen as a route. At the beginning of the 21st
century, Spain’s historic contribution to building the first “transatlantic
link” is even more relevant. The vast cohesive power of Spanish as a language
of 500 million people gives Spain a unique position and perspective in the
world. It is an international perspective of open markets, democracy and
engaged international citizenship that we Americans instinctively share.
That international sense of responsibility is being demonstrated by the presence today in Afghanistan of
Spanish soldiers. They are serving under harsh conditions; helping to bring
desperately needed humanitarian relief and medical care to a population that has
suffered so terribly under Taliban rule. Spain shares our commitment to
Afghanistan.
In fact, on more and more issues, we find Spain and the United States share similar outlooks. For
example, clearly one of the great challenges facing us is how to respond to the
problem of global poverty. The U.S. is deeply committed to fighting global
poverty. At the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development, President
Aznar and President Bush joined other world leaders in trying to find
solutions. It is a complex problem, but we can agree that development can only
be achieved by a disciplined focus on two key strategies that have worked for
those developing countries that have prospered: good governance and
participation in global trade.
Global trade is key. Spain and the US have a similar outlook on the centrality of trade as the tide
that will lift all of our boats, the key to moving countries into a position
where they can benefit from the global market. Together, the U.S. and Europe
worked constructively to launch a new WTO trade round at Doha, an especially
significant step after 9-11. Together the U.S. and the EU represent 50% of the
global economy. With this leadership position comes responsibility. We must
keep up the momentum to liberalize and open markets and use the mechanisms
established by the WTO to broker our own disputes on trade, which are normal and
inevitable in an US-EU trade relationship that is more massive and integrated
than any the world has known.
Together, Spain and the U.S. have very important roles to play in Latin America and we are finding how
much more effective we can be when we work in consultation. As the two largest
foreign investors, Spain and the US share a stake in ensuring that Argentina’s
transition to solvency adheres to the principals of transparency and fairness.
In other areas of mutual concern, the U.S. is working closely with Spain and our other European allies
and friends, as well as with Latin America, to deny safe haven to terrorists,
including to ETA terrorists. The evidence of a link between drug trafficking
and terrorism is clearer every day. US-Spain cooperation on fighting
international drug trafficking is excellent.
So, this week, when Colin Powell and Josep Pique sign amendment agreement it is within the
context of a broader US-Spain relationship that is a constructive, positive
force in the world. The Protocol updates our cooperation at bases at Moron and
Rota to reflect changes in the world since 1989, including the end of the cold
war, Spain’s integration into NATO military structures, and the War on
Terrorism.
Spain’s strategic location has made it a vital partner in
securing the Southern Flank of Europe. The revised agreement aligns our legal
arrangements with NATO standards and improves upon a very successful mutual
endeavor. It also renews and rededicates our two nations to the defense and
security of the values we share.
Perhaps more groundbreaking is the Declaration of
Principles on defense industrial cooperation. This kind of joint statement of
intent we have now with only a handful of allies with whom we have had the
closest cooperation to date. It allows for increased sharing of information and
harmonization of policies leading to the closest possible defense industry
cooperation. With this document as the foundation, we will remove barriers to
innovation and cooperation between our two governments.
Spain and the U.S. share an understanding of the
importance of defense cooperation and a commitment to the NATO alliance. Indeed, U.S.-Spain defense
cooperation is a model for how we can maintain and strengthen transatlantic security infrastructure.
The Spanish F-100 frigate series joins Spain’s proud sea-faring tradition
with US Aegis navigation technology: a joint venture creating a new generation
of naval ships that are the best frigates in the world.
On the US-EU agenda, Secretary Powell will also be working with Foreign Minister Pique to lay the
groundwork for what we believe will be a very useful U.S.-EU Summit May 2 in
Washington. The Spanish EU Presidency has been very successful and in a period
of international turmoil has navigated the US-EU relationship to play to its
great and enduring strengths. Spain is demonstrating true leadership in working
to try and find a way forward in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
President Bush has said that the US’s first, second and third priority is the fight against
terrorism. President Aznar has made it his priority of priorities of the
Spanish EU Presidency. With this joint commitment, we are making real progress
in strengthening our cooperation with the EU on terrorist financing and
strengthening our law enforcement cooperation. That includes working on the
tough problem of data privacy in the exchange of sensitive law enforcement
information and on US-EU extradition cooperation.
Spain’s own experience with ETA terrorism makes it a leading voice in the anti-terrorist coalition. The
invigorated effort against terrorism since September 11 has helped the Spanish
government in its efforts to rid Spain of ETA terror. When the US Treasury
Secretary Paul O’Neill recently announced the names of 21 ettarras whose
financial assets we would freeze, it sent a signal to the whole world that the
U.S. would stand “side by side” with Spain in her fight, as President Bush
pledged in Madrid in June 2001.
Spain has suffered terrorism for many years, and has fought it using its own democratic
values – a great lesson for the world right now. As King Juan Carlos said a
month and a half after the attacks on New York and Washington, “Este tipo de amenazas está aumentando
cuantitativamente en el mundo. Pero, cuanto más
sólidos sean los sistemas que se basan en la libertad, más inútiles resultarán
semejantes infamias.”
As our Embassy helps prepare for this week’s full agenda, we look at the important work Spaniards and Americans do
together, and we see that the world needs more alliances between countries as
solid and strong and principled as those between the US and Spain.
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