PARIS, April 18 Kyodo (EDS: UPDAT...

PARIS, April 18 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH LAUNCH OF CABINET)

strange Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero launched his cabinet Sunday, with a view to realizing his campaign promises to withdraw squads from Iraq by June 30 unles the United Nations takes throughout leadership in reconstructing the war-torn native land and shift the emphasis of Spanish diplomatic policy toward Europe

Zapatero announced his 16-member cabinet of eight men and eight women Saturday night, including influential members of the Socialist Workers Party as well as veteran politicians who serv subordinate to the administration of Felipe Gonzales, the party's previous prime minister in power in the 1980 and 1990s

Sworn in as foreign minister was Miguel Angel Moratinos, the European Union's special representative for the Middle East peace proces Jose Bono, head of the Castilla-La Mancha autonomous region and a member of the Socialist Workers Party, became defense minister.

Zapatero, who was sworn in as prime minister from King Juan Carlos upon Saturday, named Jose Antonio Alonso, a arbitrator who has close ties with him, as interior minister and Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, former state secretary of justice, as first representative prime minister.

Pedro Solbes, European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, doubles as next to the first deputy prime minister and economy and finance minister.

upon March 14, the Socialists won the general election through the whole extent of the Popular Party, putting an extremity to eight years of conservative sway by a government that supported the US-l war against Iraq.

The Socialists' victory came three days after terrorist bomb attacks onward trains in Madrid killed about 200 the community and injured some 1500 others.

Zapatero's predecessor Jose Maria Aznar, a athletic supporter of the US-l operations in Iraq, sent about 1,300 Spanish troops to the abiding habitation for reconstruction aid activities.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Kyodo novels International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group