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King Juan Carlos sad at events in the Ibero-American summit
By h.b. - Nov 13, 2007 - 8:41 AM
ALSO SEE : • Zapatero arrives in Peru for EU, Carribean and Latin American summit - May 16, 2008 - 7:14 AM
• Zapatero arrives in Latin America for weekend summit - May 15, 2008 - 7:36 AM

Chilean President, Michelle Bachelet with Don Juan Carlos (centre) and the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chaves, during the summit - Photo EFE
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The Spanish Government and the Zarzuela Palace are trying to play down the incident when the King walked out of the closing session of the Ibero-American Summit in Chile.
King Juan Carlos is reported to be sad following his outburst at the Ibero-American Summit in Chile over the weekend, where he called on the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, to shut up.

Observers say that rather enforce censorship, the Monarch was demanding silence so that the Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, could be heard. Zapatero was calling on Chávez to be respectful to José María Aznar, as the previous Spanish Prime Minister had been elected by the Spanish people. Chávez referred to Aznar as a fascist on several occasions.

Now back in Spain, a Palace source said the King believed that Spain and her representatives were under attack, that the Monarch was sad about what happened, but also convinced that ‘he did what he had to’.

Now both the Zarzuela Palace and the Government in the Moncloa have decided to try and reduce the tension and have opted for a ‘silent diplomacy’.

We now also know that before he walked out of the closing session the King said to Zapatero ‘You stay here, but I am going so that they note our protest’.

Meanwhile the Spanish Government has refused to call back the Spanish ambassador to Venezuela for consultations, as has been demanded by the Partido Popular. To that the Socialist party noted that the previous PP leader José María Aznar, actually met and dealt with Hugo Chávez on 14 occasions when in power.

Meanwhile the National Court in Spain will today hear the case against the two cartoonists from the El Jueves satirical magazine who issued a cover of the Prince and Princess of Asturias in a sexual pose last July 20th.

The prosecutor in the case wants them to be fined 3,600 € each for insulting the Prince.


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ALSO SEE :
• Zapatero arrives in Peru for EU, Carribean and Latin American summit - May 16, 2008 - 7:14 AM
• Zapatero arrives in Latin America for weekend summit - May 15, 2008 - 7:36 AM
• Chavez announces in-depth review of relations with Spain - Nov 15, 2007 - 7:43 AM
• Zapatero and the King - Nov 11, 2007 - 7:43 PM
• King Juan Carlos tells Hugo Chávez to shut up during the closure of the Ibero-American summit - Nov 11, 2007 - 11:37 AM
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