Aznar paid a Washington "lobby" with public funds to obtain the USA's Congressional Gold Medal.
The contract was for two million dollars, or 275 million former Spanish Pesetas.
July 22nd, 2004, SER Network.
http://www.cadenaser.com/articulo.html?d_date=&xref=20040722csrcsrnac_6&type=Tes&anchor=csrcsrpor
07/23/04 "ICH" -- The government of José María Aznar contracted a well known law firm in Washington for two million dollars, to promote the image of the ex-president of the Spanish government in the United States and to obtain the necessary signatures required for the granting of the Congressional Gold Medal. The ex-foreign minister, Ana Palacio, has acknowledged the existence of the contract, but has described as "biased" the information provided by SER, explaining that "public funds to contract a firm that bolstered the interests of Spain" were used.
The contract, secretly signed three months before the [Spanish] elections, was financed through funds of the Department of Foreign Affairs through an extraordinary procedure which insured confidentiality. The funds were diverted through the Foreign Affairs and Iberoamerican division of the Department of State.
The contract with the Piper Rudnick law offices, to which SER Network has had access, called for an initial payment of 700,000 dollars, corresponding to the first seven months, and monthly installments of
100,000 in the coming months until completing the 2 million dollars.
The document did not consider the contractual relationship in the event Aznar's government lost the elections.
"TO REINFORCE RELATIONS"
The SER Network also has the receipt for the payment of the initial 700,000 dollars, paid by the Spanish Embassy in Washington. The ex-Spanish ambassador in the USA, Javier Rupérez, acted as the representative of the Spanish Government.
In the contract, the lobbying firm commits itself to "assisting the Government of Spain in public diplomacy and strategic communication." It is worth noting that the contract talks of "reinforcing the relations with the White House" at a time when Aznar was boasting about his privileged relationship with Bush.
The SER Network also has in its power the breakdown of the activities and the bill from the lawyers hired by Aznar's government.
THE "ACCOMPLISHMENTS" OF THE PRESIDENT
During the month of January, the law firm communicated to the Spanish Government that its work, exactly as requested, essentially consisted in promoting the attendance to Aznar's speech before a joint session in the US capitol, and above all, to individually contact
congress members and senators to ask for their signature for the resolution which calls for the granting of the US Congressional Gold Medal to the ex-president of the Spanish Government.
In the weeks before Aznar's speech before congress -given this past 2nd of February- the law firm prepared a letter on behalf of Ambassador Rupérez "to describe the accomplishments of President Aznar during his eight years of presidency" to the members of Congress. The lawyers also got in touch with the offices of the
congress members to "plead for assistance" to Aznar's speech.
The lawyers prepared detailed billing for the time employed in writing this brief letter which they sent to members of Congress.
THE BILLS IN DETAIL
One of them, J. Boggs, charges 805 dollars for a quick meeting in the Spanish Embassy to discuss the rough draft of the January 21st letter; another lawyer, D. Marshall, charges 1,100 dollars the same day to evaluate the rough draft; the next day, J. Pickup, member of the same lobby, bills another 1,087 dollars for looking over the sheet that details Aznar's "accomplishments."
On the 23rd, a fourth lawyer, I. Sanchez, charges 672 dollars for a cursory look at the letter which required little more than an hour of time.
It so happens that the SER Network months ago uncovered that the presence of
congress members and senators at that session was so scarce that it was necessary to hastily fill empty seats with employees of Congress and tourists which were visiting the Capitol that day.
LIMITED INITIAL SUCCESS
The billing also details the efforts of the Spanish Government, through the law firm, to obtain signatures of
congress members and senators for the resolution that called for presenting the Congressional Gold Medal to José María Aznar "for being a firm and unconditional ally of the USA and for his support of the war against terrorism."
The proposal, approved May 15th 2003, barely had garnered a few dozen signatures by the end of last year, which impelled its promoter,
congress member Jim Gibbons, to publicly address the House to "urge" his colleagues to back the proposal, with little initial success.
THE 290 SIGNATURES
Three months after the law firm of Piper Rudnick received the 700,000 dollars from the Spanish government and started its work of exerting lobbying pressure in the Capitol, the Medal resolution already had the 290 necessary signatures required to push it through.
Once this goal was attained, the proposal barely registered a few more supporters. As of yesterday it had 306 signatures, although the Senate had not even started its own proposal, needed for granting the Medal.
CHARGING TO ATTEND
The lawyers of Piper Rudnick made dozens of telephone calls to
congress members to extol Aznar and ask for their signature on the resolution which proposed the presenting of the Medal. Many of the contacted
congress members added their signature immediately after the calls. On the 30th of January, when the Aznar speech was approaching, the lawyers intensified their campaign sending 40 letters and making various calls to
congress members, a task requiring a just few hours for which they charged 3,420 dollars.
The lawyers contracted by the Aznar government also charged for assisting the events of the ex-president himself in Washington. I. Sanchez billed 1,536 for being present at a meal at the Chamber of Commerce, before which Aznar gave a speech during a visit to the USA. In the itemization of the bill, the lawyers also charged the Spanish Government 6.63 dollars for postage stamps.
PALACIO ACKNOWLEDGES THE CONTRACT BUT CLARIFIES
Ana Palacio, who precisely today was in Washington, has assured today in response to SER Network questions, that there is a "standard contract which all countries around us have." She has defended the actions of the law firm because when Aznar went to Washington "there are some ongoing matters and that this firm supports these matters forms part of the objective of the contract."
The ex-minister has denied that public funds will be used exclusively to the ends that Aznar receives the Medal, and because of this has described this information as "biased." According to Palacio, "funds are not used for that, instead they are used to contract a firm that in the first month's bill specified the things that have been done, but which does not mean that there is not another series of activities that have not been included because they have not completed them."
The SER network has contacted the law firm hired by Aznar. The offices of this firm have declined to comment on the terms of the signed contract and have directed the inquiries to the Spanish Embassy in Washington, which at the time refuses to make any comment whatsoever.
TANGERINES
The SER Network this same morning has also contacted Ramón Gil Casares of the Popular Party, the former Foreign Office Minister, who has assured that this lobby was hired to improve some aspects of the defense of Spanish interests in the United States; for example, the conflict over tangerines.
He has refused to respond to the SER Network when he has asked if the contracted tasks included the personal promotion of Aznar in the United States and the granting of the USA's Congressional Gold Medal.
[Translation completed.]
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