{{Short description|2003 meeting between heads of state of Portugal, Spain, UK, and US}} thumb|José Manuel Durão Barroso, Tony Blair, George W. Bush, and José María Aznar at the Azores Summit. The '''Azores Summit''' was a meeting held on 16 March 2003 at Lajes Air Base on Terceira Island in the Azores, Portugal, between the heads of government of the United States (George W. Bush),<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hunter |first1=Robert E. |author1-link=Robert E. Hunter |title=Azores Summit a Wise Move for Bush |website=RAND Corporation |url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2003/03/azores-summit-a-wise-move-for-bush.html |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=16 March 2003}}</ref> the United Kingdom (Tony Blair), Spain (José María Aznar), and Portugal (José Manuel Durão Barroso, who also served as the host).<ref>{{cite web |title=Press Availability with President Bush, Prime Minister Blair, President Aznar, and Prime Minister Barroso |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/18757.htm |website=United States Department of State |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=16 March 2003}}</ref> President Bush was in the Azores for less than 4 hours. The summit lasted approximately one hour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-17-fg-azores17-story.html|title=Azores Summit Ends in Ultimatum to U.N.|first=Maura|last=Reynolds|date=March 17, 2003|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
At the Azores Summit, the decision was made to issue a 24-hour ultimatum to the Iraqi regime headed by Saddam Hussein for disarmament under threat of a declaration of war.<ref>{{cite web |title=Full text: Azores press conference |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/mar/17/iraq.politics2 |website=The Guardian |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=17 March 2003}}</ref>
In Spain, the Azores Summit was widely criticized and, according to some experts, it was a turning point that marked the beginning of the fall of the People's Party, which would be further accentuated by the 2004 Madrid train bombings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Azores: el día que Aznar puso a España al frente de la invasión de Irak por unas armas inexistentes |url=https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/1760526/0/foto-azores/aznar/guerra-irak/ |website=20 minutos |access-date=15 March 2024 |language=Spanish |date=16 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rolfe |first1=Pamela |title=For Spanish Leader, War Is a Gamble |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/03/20/for-spanish-leader-war-is-a-gamble/f6b26141-df73-48e6-8c7e-aac9fed6da37/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=19 March 2003}}</ref>
The ultimatum finally led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq by an international coalition of countries, without the explicit backing of the United Nations,<ref>{{cite web |author1=MacAskill, Ewen |author2=Borger, Julian |author1-link=Ewen MacAskill |author2-link=Julian Borger |title=Iraq war was illegal and breached UN charter, says Annan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/16/iraq.iraq |website=The Guardian |date=16 September 2004}}</ref> although they relied on United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCR) 1441, 1483, and 1511.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reynolds |first1=Maura |title=Azores Summit Ends in Ultimatum to U.N. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-17-fg-azores17-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=17 March 2003}}</ref>
==Statements at the Azores Summit in relation to Iraq== The Azores Summit resulted in two statements: ; A vision for Iraq and the Iraqi people: This statement argues for the need to liberate the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein's regime.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement of the Atlantic Summit: A Vision for Iraq and the Iraqi People |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/2003/18761.htm |website=United States Department of State |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=16 March 2003}}</ref> ;Commitment to transatlantic solidarity: The signatories intended to state their particular points of view regarding the common values on both sides of the Atlantic pertaining to democracy, freedom, and the rule of law, and that together they would confront the two threats of the 21st century: terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement of the Atlantic Summit: Commitment to Transatlantic Solidarity |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/2003/18760.htm |website=United States Department of State |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=16 March 2003}}</ref>
==Consequences== {{Main|Preparations for the 2003 invasion of Iraq}} The Azores Summit is the prelude to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and its subsequent occupation, as well as the prolongation of the Iraq War until 19 August 2010.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bartlett |first1=Debbie |title=16 March 2003: The Azores summit sets the stage for the War on Iraq |url=https://www.surinenglish.com/lifestyle/201803/16/march-2003-azores-summit-20180316093201-v.html |website=Diario Sur |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=16 March 2018}}</ref>
===The military occupation found no weapons of mass destruction=== {{Main article|Iraq and weapons of mass destruction}} The existence of chemical weapons (weapons of mass destruction) in Iraq, the main argument put forward for the declaration of war, was not proven.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Kessler, Glenn |author1-link=Glenn Kessler (journalist) |title=The Iraq War and WMDs: An intelligence failure or White House spin? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/22/iraq-war-wmds-an-intelligence-failure-or-white-house-spin/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=16 March 2024 |date=22 March 2019}}</ref>{{sfn|Martínez Selva|2009}} The invasion of Iraq has also been linked to the solution of the Arab–Israeli conflict,{{sfn|Waxman|2009}} the new geopolitical strategy of the United States,{{sfn|Mercille|2010}} the large economic oil interests in the area,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Longley |first1=Robert |title=Did Oil Drive the US Invasion of Iraq? |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/oil-drive-us-invasion-of-iraq-3968261 |website=ThoughtCo. |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=4 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Juhasz, Antonia |author1-link=Antonia Juhasz |title=Why the war in Iraq was fought for Big Oil |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/19/opinion/iraq-war-oil-juhasz/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=15 April 2013}}</ref> and a real testing ground for the US military industry, which constitutes a very important part of its gross domestic product.{{sfn|Hinnebusch|2007|p=212}}
===Withdrawal of troops and the end of the war=== {{main article|Withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq (2007–2011)}} On Friday 27 February 2009, US President Barack Obama announced the withdrawal of US troops on Monday 31 August 2010, although 50,000 soldiers would remain until Saturday 31 December 2011.<ref>{{cite news|date=27 February 2009|title=Transcript of Obama's Speech at Camp Lejeune, N.C.|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-of-President-Barack-Obama-Responsibly-Ending-the-War-in-Iraq|access-date=15 March 2024|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Obama: U.S. to withdraw most Iraq troops by August 2010 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/27/obama.troops/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=15 March 2024}}</ref> It would not be until 2015 when Tony Blair would admit that it had been a mistake to invade Iraq.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gotev |first1=Georgi |title=Blair held responsible for Iraq war, while Barroso remains untouchable |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/blair-held-responsible-for-iraq-war-while-barroso-remains-untouchable/ |website=Euractiv |access-date=15 March 2024 |date=7 July 2016}}</ref>
==See also== * United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 * United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483 * United Nations Security Council Resolution 1511 * Iraq disarmament timeline 1990–2003 * 2003 invasion of Iraq * Iraq War * Legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq ==References== {{Reflist}}
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Category:Coalitions Category:2003 in politics Category:2003 in Iraq Category:2003 in Portugal Category:2003 in Spain Category:2003 in the United Kingdom Category:2003 in the United States Category:Causes and prelude of the Iraq War Category:Diplomatic visits by heads of government Category:Diplomatic visits by heads of state Category:Iraq–Spain relations Category:Portugal–Spain relations Category:Spain–United Kingdom relations Category:Spain–United States relations Category:Military history of the Azores Category:2003 in international relations Category:Politics of the Iraq War Category:Spain in the Iraq War