BRITAIN/SPAIN: A clear majority opposition to a military attack on Iraq recorded by this month's Guardian/ICM poll represents a significant personal failure for Mr Tony Blair in his attempt to persuade British public opinion.
Since November, opposition to the war in the UK has risen by 12 points to its new peak of 52 per cent. Over the same period, support for the war has slumped to 29 per cent. The size of the task facing Mr Blair was reinforced by the unprecedented scale of the weekend protests against the war, when more than a million people took to the streets in London.
Meanwhile, Spain's Prime Minister, Mr José María Aznar, was coming to terms yesterday with the fact that his unswerving support for President Bush on Iraq had inflicted heavy political damage that could cost his conservative People's Party its hold on power.
Ministers admitted that the government's position was "causing significant electoral damage" and Mr Aznar's wife, Ms Ana Botella, said the party was going through "one of the worst moments in its history".
Between two million and three million people protested in Spanish cities at the weekend in what was said to the biggest overall turnout in the world.
More significantly for Mr Aznar, opinion polls have shown that, for the first time since securing a clear victory in elections three years ago, the socialists have overtaken the People's Party in voting intentions.
Mr Aznar also faced embarrassment yesterday when it was revealed that in 1997 he had offered to pay Baghdad in "aid" if it gave oil contracts to the Spanish-owned Repsol company. The government was ready to make a "donation" if Repsol was given a concession in the Nasiriya field, despite the fact that the UN had just issued a series of resolutions condemning Iraq's continued blocking of inspections, according to El Mundo newspaper.