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Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company  
The New York Times

May 8, 2003, Thursday, Late Edition - Final
Correction Appended

SECTION: Section A;  Page 18;  Column 1;  Foreign Desk 

LENGTH: 814 words

HEADLINE: AFTEREFFECTS: ALLIES;
Spanish Leader Visits Bush, Who Delivers on a Promise

BYLINE:   By ELISABETH BUMILLER 

DATELINE: WASHINGTON, May 7

BODY:
President Bush today rewarded one of his most loyal supporters in the Iraq war, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, with a meeting in the Oval Office, a dinner at the White House and the inclusion of Batasuna, a radical Basque nationalist party, on the State Department list of international terrorist groups.

Batasuna is allied with the violent separatist group E.T.A. Administration officials said today that E.T.A. had been responsible for more than 850 deaths in Spain.

Mr. Aznar had requested the designation, and during a joint news conference in the Grand Foyer of the White House today, he profusely thanked the president for keeping his word.

Neither leader mentioned an explicit quid pro quo, but neither had to. Mr. Bush made it clear that good things were in store for Spain in exchange for its support of the United States during the six-week American-led war.

"Jose Maria is a man of principle and a man of courage," Mr. Bush said, with Mr. Aznar at his side under the grand marble columns. The Washington Monument could be seen through the window behind them. "Under his leadership, Spain has been a strong partner in the war against terror and has stood with the coalition to liberate the people of Iraq," the president said.

Mr. Bush also used his appearance with Mr. Aznar to reiterate announcements made earlier in the day by Secretary of State State Colin L. Powell and Treasury Secretary John W. Snow that the United States was suspending sanctions against Iraq and would soon introduce a resolution to lift other sanctions imposed by the United Nations after the 1991 Persian Gulf war.

Although France and Russia have objected to lifting the sanctions until the United Nations certifies that Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction, Mr. Bush asserted that there was a "mood to work together" with other members of the Security Council and that the contentious atmosphere that existed before the Iraq war had changed.

"I think Jose Maria shares that sentiment," Mr. Bush said, turning to Mr. Aznar.

"Absolutely," Mr. Aznar agreed. "I hope it's true."

Last weekend, Mr. Bush extended a similar thank you to another Iraq ally, Prime Minister John Howard of Australia, the weekend guest of honor at the president's ranch in Texas.

In contrast, Mr. Bush has said that Prime Minister Jacques Chirac of France, who actively worked against the United States on Iraq, will not be a ranch guest anytime soon. Senior administration advisers are meanwhile seeking ways to punish France for what they consider the country's rebellious behavior.

Condoleezza Rice, Mr. Bush's national security adviser, went so far today as to accuse France of trying to take NATO hostage and of threatening smaller countries that had backed the White House position on the war.

In interviews in Washington published today in the Spanish newspapers El Pais, El Mundo, ABC and La Vanguardia, Ms. Rice said that "the United States did not divide the Europeans" and that "it wasn't us that threatened smaller countries with reprisals nor tried to shut up the countries of Eastern Europe."

Ms. Rice also said in the interviews that the United States would be forced to act if it discovered that Syria had allowed Iraq to hide weapons of mass destruction in Syria during the war, and that it was possible that some weapons had been removed from Iraq before the fighting concluded last month.

"We have assurances from the Syrians that nothing crossed their borders," Ms. Rice said. "Time will tell."

Tonight at the White House, Mr. Bush thanked Mr. Aznar, who was a guest at the ranch in February, for his diplomatic support before the war and for the use of Spanish airspace and bases as the war grew closer. Mr. Bush also offered condolences to the family and friends of two Spanish journalists who died in Iraq, including one who was killed when U.S. forces shelled the main hotel for reporters in Baghdad.

But when Mr. Bush was asked by a Spanish reporter today if firing upon the hotel was a mistake, he seemed irritated.

"I think war is a dangerous place, and I think that nobody would kill a journalist intentionally," Mr. Bush responded.

Mr. Aznar added: "Well, the U.S. government has already said that this was a mistake, and we believe this. I am truly, fully convinced that no one would intentionally fire against innocent victims and, in this case, the journalists who died. And that's all, that's it."

At the news conference, Mr. Bush also defended himself against criticism from Democrats that his jet landing last week in a flight suit on the carrier Abraham Lincoln was an expensive political stunt.

"Listen, it was an honor for me to go on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln," Mr. Bush said. "I appreciate the chance to thank our troops. It was an unbelievably positive experience."
 

http://www.nytimes.com

CORRECTION-DATE: May 13, 2003, Tuesday

CORRECTION:
An article on Thursday about a visit to the White House by Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, who supported the United States in the Iraq war, misstated the title of Jacques Chirac, the French leader who opposed it. (The error also occurred in an article on April 10 about European reaction to the arrival of American troops in downtown Baghdad.) Mr. Chirac is president, not prime minister.




GRAPHIC: Photo: President Bush with the Spanish prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, at the White House Wednesday. Mr. Aznar thanked Mr. Bush for including a radical Basque party on a list of terrorist groups. (Associated Press)

LOAD-DATE: May 8, 2003