The United States is not giving up in its desire for Spain to be part of the international operation in the Red Sea to protect maritime traffic against the aggression of the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Yesterday, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, General Charles Brown, made public that he had telephoned his Spanish counterpart, the head of the Chief of the General Staff of the Defense (Jemad), Teodoro López Calderón, to insist in the Spanish participation in the military mission.
The Government of Pedro Sánchez, whose vacillations in this matter show the discomfort this issue arouses, did not make public, at first, the call with the head of the Pentagon. Faced with questions from the media, he confirmed the contact, but not that the military operation in the Red Sea was present in the conversation, despite the fact that the United States assured it.
From the department headed by Margarita Robles, they assured that it was “a call to highlight the magnificent relations with Spain”. From the Defense Staff, which was a communication that “is part of those that the Jemad usually maintains with its allied counterparts”. “The topics discussed were all of a strategic nature that are of interest to both nations”, they added.
However, the US statement provides more information. Military leaders discussed strategic security cooperation, with the Middle East as a backdrop. Both addressed the Houthis’ “continued illegal attacks” on commercial ships. Plasmat black on white, despite the fact that Spain does not support it.
The Minister of Defense was definitive two days before Military Easter, when she reiterated Spain’s no: “No country, no matter who this country is, tells Spain what to do.” Despite this political decision, the press release states how the top military official of the United States insisted to his Spanish counterpart that his country wants to work “with all the nations that share the interest of defending the principle of freedom of navigation and guaranteeing a safe passage for global shipping”.
“Spain is a vital ally of NATO and shares a long-standing strategic relationship with the United States”, concludes the American statement.
