Word: foreigners
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...continue, promote or in any way permit" a two-year-old pilot program that allowed some Mexican trucks to operate in the U.S. Pressure for the clause had come directly from the Teamsters, who have long opposed competition from the Mexican 18-wheelers on their turf, complaining that the foreign truckers don't meet U.S. safety standards...
...Alliance," he said through a spokeswoman. U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood went further, saying, "We are deeply disappointed by this decision taken by Spain." Coming almost exactly five years after Zapatero's decision to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq, Chacón's announcement has led some foreign commentators to portray the Spanish government as an unreliable ally, while domestic critics, such as opposition leader Mariano Rajoy, worry that the damage done to Spain's international reputation is "incalculable." (See pictures of the Spanish protesting fuel prices...
...have to distinguish between the content of the message and its form," says Nicolas Sartorius, president of the Madrid-based Alternatives Foundation, a foreign-policy think tank. "In terms of content, it would have been inconsistent for the government to keep forces in a country it doesn't recognize. But in terms of the form in which it was delivered, well, obviously something wasn't done right...
...Compounding the negative reactions were reports that many relevant officials within Spain's administration were unaware that the announcement was near. According to the newspaper El País, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos was not included in the decision, and Spanish Ambassador to the U.S. Jorge Dezcallar first learned of the withdrawal when a State Department official called him for an explanation. Asked about the timing, a spokesman for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs corrected the statement about Moratinos, noting that the minister was up to date on the resolution, but said he could not confirm or deny...
...After putting so much effort into proving it belonged at the adults' table of foreign affairs, this embarrassing episode makes Spain look a little amateurish. But the withdrawal is not likely to permanently undermine the country's rapprochement with the U.S., says Sartorius of the Alternatives Foundation think tank: "Obama and Zapatero have a lot more in common than Kosovo...