The Royalist - King of Spain Tells President: "Shut Up"

King of Spain Tells President: "Shut Up"

Written by Joanne Leyland
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Page 1 of 2 While Princes Philip and Harry may have their moments, royalty are generally acknowledged for their admirable ability to keep their thoughts to themselves. However, in a message which possibly elicited a few cheers in Washington, King Juan Carlos has faced up to one of the world's most controversial Heads of State by telling him: "Shut up". The King of Spain was in Santiago for an event marking the end of the Ibero-American summit when he made a distinctly undiplomatic order to President Chavez after hearing Venezuela's Head of State make a speech in which he repeatedly referred to Spain’s former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar Lopez as "a fascist". Continued Chavez, who just last year condemned American President George W. Buck as the "devil" during a similarly rampant tirade on the floor of the United Nations last year: "Fascists are not human. A snake is more human." Spain's incumbent PM, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, duly hit back, telling the Venezuelan President to be more respectful in his language, reminding him: "Former President Aznar was democratically elected by the Spanish people and was a legitimate representative of the Spanish people." The response prompted an outburst of applause from the gathered Heads of State, but also prompted another attempt by President Chavez to take the spotlight. << Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>

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