Spain’s Military Upset With U.S. Over Ship

Spanish military officials voiced irritation with the United States over the seizure of a ship carrying North Korean missiles to Yemen, saying in reports published Thursday that Spanish naval forces risked their lives for what proved to be a pointless exercise.

The Defense Ministry sought to play down the reports in Spain’s two biggest daily newspapers, but a spokesman acknowledged that the ministry was “a little surprised” by the U.S. decision to let the Scud missiles go their way after asking Spain to stop the ship this week in the Arabian Sea.

The spokesman added that the Pentagon’s No. 2 official, Paul D. Wolfowitz, called Defense Minister Federico Trillo late Wednesday “to thank and praise Spain for the operation and to apologize for what could seem an absurd situation.”

Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio said the U.S. decision to let the ship go was correct. “Once all the details were checked and the origin, destination and buyers were verified, and Yemen guaranteed that these missiles were not going to pass into terrorist hands, we were obliged to let the ship follow its course,” Palacio told state radio.

U.S. officials said Wednesday that Spanish authorities were deeply involved in the awkward negotiations, as was Cambodia. The United States said it had the right to stop and search the ship but not confiscate the cargo because Yemen purchased the missiles legally.

In published reports, unnamed Spanish military officials expressed irritation. “The Spanish military forces risked their lives, and so far we don’t know why,” the daily El Pais quoted one unidentified Defense Ministry official as saying.

“There has been a change of tack toward Yemen that the United States will have to explain,” another military official told El Mundo newspaper.

The Spanish operation included the firing of warning shots at the freighter and its boarding by elite forces who rappelled from a helicopter. U.S. and Cambodian officials said Thursday that the ship was registered in Cambodia by North Korean owners.

“The ship was owned by Chinese, then it was sold to North Koreans who registered the ship with the Cambodian company in Singapore,” Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said. Cambodia recently suspended the company’s operations after criticism that the vessels it registered were often engaged in criminal activities.