Glare of Azores puts more heat on Aznar

By DANIEL FLYNN in Madrid

A self-confident but intensely private man, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar may be finding the glare of the diplomatic spotlight a little uncomfortable.

Aznar shared the stage with United States President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday at a summit in the Azores Islands.

Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards, rejecting his pleas for support for the tough US stand on Iraq, rallied in Madrid on Sunday, voicing their anger at Aznar and his ruling Popular Party (PP) for what they say is his increasingly authoritarian style of government.

Polls show more than three quarters of the population oppose a US-led attack on Iraq, and even Aznar's allies in the press are questioning his support for Bush.

With municipal elections in May and a general election only a year later, some are asking whether Aznar is gambling with the future of the centre-right PP Government.

Though Aznar himself will step down at next year's elections, the widening and acrimonious rift between European nations over Iraq may also jeopardise his alleged ambition to become president of a stronger European Union Commission.

In staking so much of his political career on Iraq, Aznar - like Blair - claims to be acting in the most responsible way possible to protect the international community from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"He has enormous and unfathomable self-confidence," said Charles Powell, a British political scientist who advises the PP. "Aznar doesn't give a darn what people think of him."

In fact, Aznar has made a career out of bucking the conventional political wisdom and ignoring public opinion.

When doubters sniggered at his pledge to bring Spain, a traditional economic laggard, into the European monetary union, Aznar correctly predicted it would qualify right alongside its wealthier northern neighbours.

One reason for that, say those close to him, is that Aznar simply sets his goals and then attacks them with singleminded purpose.

The former tax collector jealously keeps his own political council and relies heavily on his own instincts, which have served him well in the past.

Winning an emphatic re-election in 2000 gave him and the centre-right PP an absolute majority, but critics say they have wielded this in an increasingly authoritarian manner.

Tension rose last year when the Government forced tough labour legislation through Parliament, sparking Spain's first general strike in eight years. The Government's high-handed reaction to the sinking of the Prestige oil tanker led to more protests.

Aznar's critics call him cold and calculating and contend he cares little for the plight of ordinary Spaniards.

However, admirers say that what he lacks in charisma he makes up for in honesty and determination.

He survived an assassination attempt by the Basque guerrilla group ETA in 1995 and has since taken a hard line against the separatists - a popular stance with many Spaniards.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq