The US has asked Spain to accept four prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay prison for terrorism suspects, it emerged today.

A Spanish court will consider opening a criminal case against six former Bush administration officials, including former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, over allegations they gave legal cover for torture at Guantanamo Bay, a lawyer said.

Spain’s decision to pull its troops out of Iraq in 2004 was made hastily and without giving its allies time to prepare for it, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice has said.

Spain’s decision to pull its troops out of Iraq in 2004 was made hastily and without giving its allies time to prepare for it, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said tonight.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s one-day visit to Spain today is meant to smooth over a three-year downturn in relations between Washington and Madrid.

Spain, France and Italy unveiled a five-point Middle East peace initiative today, calling Israeli-Palestinian violence intolerable and saying that Europe must take a lead role in ending the conflict.

Spain and Britain were today due to sign a historic agreement resolving disagreements stemming from their 300-year-old dispute over Gibraltar while leaving the thorny issue of sovereignty untouched.

Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos today told a special European Parliament committee investigating alleged CIA secret flights and detention centres in Europe there had been no violations of Spanish law with respect to CIA activities on Spanish soil, since his government took office.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos is due to appear before a European Parliament committee investigating alleged CIA secret flights and detention centres in Europe today to answer questions about his government’s possible involvement in the transfer of suspects to US secret agents.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani today arrived in the Spanish capital Madrid for talks with Spain’s leaders, the IRNA official news agency said.

Syria will exercise its influence on Hezbollah if “circumstances” change in Lebanon, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said today after meeting with Syria’s president.

A fire at a Brussels hotel forced the evacuation of Spain’s prime minister and other members of the country’s delegation to the European Union summit, Spanish officials said.

Britain should make concessions on its disputed EU budget rebate in order for the bloc to come up with a spending plan for 2007-2013, the Spanish foreign minister said today.

Spain asked the United States in March and again this week if CIA planes carrying terror suspects made stopovers at Spanish airports, and both times the Americans said they had no record of such flights, the government said.

European Union leaders should slow down the enlargement of the bloc to give people “time to breathe” after the rejection of the draft constitution by France and the Netherlands, the EU’s external affairs commissioner said today.

Three-way talks on the future of Gibraltar began today with Spanish annoyance over Britain’s use of the tiny colony for repairing nuclear submarines high on the agenda.

Swiss special forces stormed the Spanish consulate in the capital, Berne, today to end a siege nearly seven hours after three assailants broke into the building.

Three masked assailants who seized the Spanish consulate in the Swiss capital, Berne, today, left the building after a three-hour siege.

Spain’s main opposition party reacted angrily today to the announcement that Gibraltarians have gained an equal voice with Britain and Spain in discussions on their future.

Gibraltar was today given an effective veto over changes to its constitutional status, with the creation of a forum in which it will have an equal voice with Britain and Spain.

THE EU ended 11 years of sanctions against Libya and eased an arms embargo yesterday to reward the North African country for giving up plans to develop weapons of mass destruction.

The EU ended 11 years of sanctions against Libya and eased an arms embargo today to reward the North African country for giving up plans to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Spanish troops will not return to Iraq under any international mandate, the foreign minister said today just as George Bush and Tony Blair said they wanted Nato involvement in the country.

THE Anglo-American resolution defining the new Iraqi government’s powers was finally heading for the UN Security Council’s approval late last night.

President George Bush gave a chilly reception to Spain’s new leader, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, when the pair spoke on the telephone yesterday.

The new Spanish Socialist prime minister today abruptly ordered his troops home from Iraq.

Key European nations, including Iraq war opponents Germany and France, vigorously rejected a truce offer purportedly from Osama bin Laden, saying there could be no negotiating with his al- Qaida terrorist network.