Broacast: March 20, 2004
This is Steve Ember with In the News, in VOA Special English.
President Bush said Friday that every government has a duty tofight and destroy terrorism. He said any sign of weakness onlyinvites more violence for all nations. Mister Bush made the commentsas he observed the first anniversary of the American-led invasion ofIraq. Diplomats from more than eighty nations gathered at the WhiteHouse to hear his speech.
Mister Bush also said differences over Iraq belong to what hecalled, the past. He said the ouster of Iraqi leader Saddam Husseinhas removed a cause of violence and aggression in the Middle East.
Also Friday, justice and interior ministers from European Unioncountries agreed at talks in Belgium to do more to fight terrorism.On March eleventh, bombs exploded on four trains in Madrid. Morethan two-hundred people were killed. More than one-thousand otherswere injured.
Many people in Spain blamed the government of Prime Minister JoseMaria Aznar for the bombings. Mister Aznar has been a strong ally ofPresident Bush and the war in Iraq. The Spanish government providedmore than one-thousand troops for the American-led coalition.Ninety-percent of Spaniards opposed the war.
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will be the next Prime Minister ofSpain. Mister Zapatero says support for the war made his country atarget for terrorist attacks. He has said he plans to withdrawSpanish troops from Iraq unless they are placed under United Nationscommand by the end of June.
The People's Party of Mister Aznar lost power in generalelections in Spain last Sunday, three days after the bombings. Theopposition Socialist party of Mister Zapatero defeated the rulingconservatives. Before the attacks, the People's Party was widelyexpected to win the election.
The Spanish government says it had reason to blame the Basqueseparatist group ETA for the bombings. Police now say they believeIslamic militants linked to the al-Qaida group carried out theattacks. Some Spaniards say the government attempted to hide what itknew about links to Islamic extremists.
The government said Thursday that it would release intelligencedocuments linked to the attacks. Officials said they want to provethey did not try to trick the public.
On Friday, a judge in Madrid ordered five suspects in thebombings to remain in jail while an investigation continues. Thethree Moroccan and two Indian suspects deny any links to theattacks. Police also have been holding other people, including a manwith Spanish citizenship. Some suspects are believed to have linksto bombings in Morocco last year. Those attacks killed thirty-threepeople and the twelve bombers.
There have been reported claims of responsibility for the Madridattacks by al-Qaida members or others acting in its name. Americanofficials say they fear that the apparent influence on the Spanishelections will only strengthen Islamic terrorist groups.
In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk.This is Steve Ember.