Jose Maria Aznar.(Spanish prime minister's foreign policy)(Interview)

Widely credited with raising Spain's profile on the international scene, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's influence will likely continue to affect Spanish foreign policy long after he steps down next year. The 50-year-old politician has aggressively pushed to increase commercial ties with Latin America and the United States. More important, he has demonstrated that popular opposition to his foreign policy doesn't necessarily translate at the voting booth. Aznar has been a staunch ally of the Bush administration in Iraq and suffered little for it--despite overwhelming antiwar sentiment among Spanish voters and the brutal assassination of a Spanish diplomat in Baghdad last month. Defying pundits, his Popular Party held onto most of its seats in regional and municipal elections and even managed to regain control of Madrid's regional legislature on Oct. 26. Last week, the day before a suicide bomber killed 19 Italians in Iraq (where Spain has sent 1,300 troops), Aznar spoke to NEWSWEEK International Editor Fareed Zakaria about transatlantic relations, the insurgency in Iraq and the poor image of U.S. President George W. Bush. Excerpts:

ZAKARIA: Are you worried that at some point the security condition in Iraq will become so difficult that you will have to start considering permanently withdrawing Spanish personnel?

AZNAR: I am very worried about this situation. But we haven't taken a decision about withdrawing personnel. The Spanish Embassy is still open. And we have our forces deployed there. Our commitment is the same. We entered together and we shall leave jointly.

You have experience dealing with terrorism in Spain. Why has this rebellion grown?

I think anybody who thinks this can be solved in months is wrong. You need specialized forces to fight. If you don't have sufficient intelligence, and those who are supposed to cooperate don't cooperate entirely, then you will have problems. But you must realize from the start that there is no rapid solution.

The European Union has offered to contribute no new funds to Iraq. Why won't France and Russia help, given that they had been arguing for the lifting of sanctions for the past 10 years because they wanted to assist the people of Iraq?

The basic positions that existed before the war continue after the war. That is the way in which you need to see this. People might think things have changed, but ...