Opposition leader criticises Zapatero´s foreign policy

MARIANO Rajoy, chairman of the Partido Popular (PP), yesterday criticised the foreign policy of socialist Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero, accusing him of “getting mad at the U.S.” and saying that Angela Merkel “had failed” after the German elections. He was speaking in Palma, after closing a forum.
He also accused the central government of bending over backwards to keep Cuban leader Fidel Castro happy in the 15th Ibero American summit, which opened in Salamanca yesterday. Castro is not attending the summit. He also criticised Zapatero's government for not inviting Cuban dissidents to the October 12 (Spain's National Day) celebrations in Havanna, although the German government did. He asked which was most important, Cuba and Venezuela, or “maintaining good relations with those countries which share our values, our way of life and a reasonable way of looking at things.” Rajoy stressed that the way political leaders behave “has an influence on the economy and foreign investment.” He quoted as an example tourism in the Balearics where, in his opinion, “a change of government had been needed for normal things to be carried out and a minimum of confidence generated so that matters took a turn for the better.” Rajoy, accompanied by Balearic leader Jaume Matas, closed the Forum for Dependants held at the Hotel Gran Melia Victoria yesterday.
He latter attended a dinner for party supporters at Son Amar, which was attended by more than 1'400 people.