Ignacio, there is quite a bit of money related to expanding the naval base in the south. Also, the use of "Echalan"(not quite sure how it is spelled) is not given to a lot of countries. Hopefully, this will help put a stop to ETA. Next to the US, Spain has the most investment in Mexico.In order to pay for the rapidly approaching pensioners, the declining Spanish population must expand its tax base. It is strongly tied to the US now by way of NAFTA (soon to be AFTA). Bush Sr. and the Spanish King are hunting friends. Fox and Bush are VERY close friends. And, from Aznar's recent trip to Mexico, Aznar is joining the new triangle: North America, South American, and Spain. Economics, along with personal relational history, is the basis for Spain looking West.(no tomato trucks turned over here)