Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
“Europe should close all of the US bases on its soil,” said one US foreign policy critic.
The Spanish government has blocked the US military from using its bases to launch attacks on Iran, forcing American aircraft to leave the country.
Speaking at the annual Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona on Sunday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez denounced that US war on Iran, which was completely unprovoked.
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“Remember that one can be against a hateful regime, as is the case with the Iranian regime,” Sánchez said, “and at the same time be against a military intervention that is unjustified, dangerous, and outside international law. That one should be against a war initiated without authorization from the US Congress or the UN Security Council.”
According to a Monday report in the Guardian, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares emphasized after Sánchez’s speech that Spanish military bases will not be used “for anything that is not in the agreement [with the US], nor for anything that isn’t covered by the UN charter.”
In the wake of the Spanish government’s announcement, anti-war campaigners demanded that other European nations take similar stances.
“Europe should close all of the US bases on its soil,” wrote David Adler, co-general coordinator of Progressive International. “There can be no ‘strategic autonomy’ while the United States maintains the ability to commit wanton violence from imperial installations on European territory.”
Alex Soros, chairman of Open Society Foundations, said that more nations should follow in Spain’s footsteps in trying to curb US aggression.
“Why aren’t more Europeans standing up to an illegal war!” Soros wrote. “Same with Canada! They make nice speeches at conferences, but do little. Spain is becoming the leader of the free world!”
Clare Daly, an Irish former member of European Parliament, encouraged her country to do its part to deny the US a base for airstrikes.
“Spain has denied the US military any use of its territory to carry out unlawful acts of aggression against Iran,” Daly wrote. “Yesterday [Human Rights Organization] Shannonwatch documented two US Air Force Hercules C-130H aircraft landing at Shannon Airport. Is the government going to do anything to uphold Ireland’s international responsibilities?”
Alan McLeod, senior staff writer at MintPress News, quipped that the Spanish government “continues to provide more resistance to Trump’s agenda than all Democrats combined.”
Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
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