What next for Spain, press asks

Spanish editorials on Monday give a stark reminder that the country is still a terrorist target and advise on what should be the next move in dealing with Islamist terrorism.

ABC says a declaration by the new Socialist government on the possible withdrawal of troops from Iraq has failed to placate al-Qaeda.

"The Madrid-Seville high-speed train and Leganes are proof that the terrorists' perception of Spain as a victim did not end with Iraq, or even if you include Afghanistan ... or with the electoral defeat of the PP."

It says there are good reasons for coalition troops to remain in Iraq, including its reconstruction and democratisation.

But, the paper goes on, "what will not remain the same, depending on the decision made by the Socialist government, will be Spain's position on the international stage".

Caution

In an editorial entitled "Spain lives the nightmare of suicide terrorism", El Mundo says Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero faces a huge challenge in dealing with the Islamist threat.

"We must not fool ourselves because the enemy is warning us of his intentions. All Spanish citizens are in the sights of these fanatics, who can carry out attacks in places where the public congregate in large numbers."

The paper warns that Spain should tread carefully because of its geographical position.

"Spain is a particularly vulnerable nation, because of its nature as a border country with the Arab world and because it is a transit point and place of residence for millions of Muslims."

"The new government must, then, design a new security policy against Islamist terrorism that, without arousing xenophobia and intimidating immigrants, reduces the risk of a repeat of attacks like those on 11 March. Zapatero is facing an enormous challenge."

Iraqi sovereignty

La Razon makes the point that recent events in Spain coincided with a "dramatic deterioration" in the situation in Iraq.

It advises the new government, along with its allies and the US in particular, to try to find a way to allow the UN to coordinate the transition of power to the Iraqi people.

"In the midst of a global terrorist offensive like the one we are experiencing, great care must be taken over the messages we send to the rest of the world," it says.

"Supreme challenge"

El Pais, in an editorial entitled "A supreme challenge" says that closer to home, all EU states should work together to fight terrorism as every country was now a potential target.

"The madness of the Jihadists moves along much more imprecise coordinates, facilitated in the case of Spain by our position on the southern border of Europe."

"The new EU must overcome national differences, cultural misgivings and political mistrust to face the greatest threat to its democratic foundations, as this blind Jihadist terror highlights the absurdity of boundaries between the national and the international."

"Its menacing age-old doctrine makes us all passengers on the same ship."

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.