There are surprising friendships with unforeseeable consequences. Bush, Blair and Aznar sealed theirs with a meeting held in March 2003 in the Azores islands and presented the so-called Azores summit to the world as the last diplomatic opportunity to avoid war in Iraq. There, they made a decision that would mark the course of international politics: issue a 24-hour ultimatum to the regime of President Saddam Hussein for his complete disarmament, arguing the alleged existence of chemical weapons and under threat of declaration of war.
The existence of these weapons was never known. The fateful meeting ended up precipitating the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq, with the dramatic consequences known in the Middle East. The summit marked the beginning of the fall of the PP.
On May 15 of that year, hundreds of thousands of people took Barcelona and Madrid against the imminent war in Iraq.
