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{{Short description|Spanish politician (born 1942)}}
[[Image:Javiersolana.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Javier Solana]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
'''Javier Solana''' (born [[July 14]], [[1942]]), the 1995-1999 NATO Secretary General, is the current Secretary General of both the European Union and the 10 nation permanent member Western European Union. He also holds the title of the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU. He has been officially designated to serve as the powerful new Foreign Minister of the European Union under its new constitution, effective upon full ratification expected in 2006. As such he will combine the positions of Commissioner of External Relations (currently held by Benita Ferrero-Waldner) and Common Foreign and Security Policy chief currently held by him. He has a growing cabinet of his own already serving under him. That advisory body is expected to grow as he continues to enlarge his EU roles. It is expected that ratification will be complete sometime in 2006 and that new roles may begin in 2007. Under the new constitution, he will easily be the most powerful figure in the European government, he having a unique power of initiative not even shared by the presidency. He will also automatically serve as Vice President of the European Commission.
{{family name hatnote|Solana|de Madariaga|lang=Spanish}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Most Excellent]]
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCMG}} [[Order of Isabella the Catholic|CYC]]
| name = Javier Solana
| image = Javier Solana 1999.jpg
| caption = Solana in 1999
| office = [[High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy|High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy]]
| term_start = 18 October 1999
| term_end = 1 December 2009
| predecessor = [[Jürgen Trumpf]]
| successor = [[Catherine Ashton|Cathy Ashton]] {{small|(Foreign Affairs and Security Policy)}}
| office1 = [[Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union|Secretary General of the Council of the European Union]]
| term_start1 = 18 October 1999
| term_end1 = 1 December 2009
| predecessor1 = [[Jürgen Trumpf]]
| successor1 = [[Pierre de Boissieu]]
| office2 = [[List of Secretaries General of the Western European Union|Secretary General of the Western European Union]]
| term_start2 = 20 November 1999
| term_end2 = 1 December 2009
| predecessor2 = [[José Cutileiro]]
| successor2 = [[Arnaud Jacomet]]
| office3 = 9th [[Secretary General of NATO]]
| term_start3 = 5 December 1995
| term_end3 = 6 October 1999
| predecessor3 = [[Sergio Balanzino]] {{small|(Acting)}}<br />[[Willy Claes]]
| successor3 = [[George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen|The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen]]
| office4 = [[List of Foreign Ministers of Spain|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| primeminister4 = [[Felipe González]]
| term_start4 = 16 June 1992
| term_end4 = 18 December 1995
| predecessor4 = [[Francisco Fernández Ordóñez]]
| successor4 = [[Carlos Westendorp]]
| birth_name = Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1942|7|14|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Madrid]], Spain
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party]]
| spouse = María de la Concepción Giménez Díaz-Oyuelos
| education = [[Complutense University of Madrid|Complutense University]]<br />[[University of Virginia]]
| signature = Firma de Javier Solana.svg
| children = 2
}}
'''Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCMG}} [[Order of Isabella the Catholic|CYC]] ({{IPA|es|fɾanˈθisko xaˈβjeɾ soˈlana ðe maðaˈɾjaɣa|lang}}; born 14 July 1942) is a Spanish [[physicist]] and [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|PSOE]] politician. After serving in the Spanish government as [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (Spain)|Foreign Affairs Minister]] under [[Felipe González]] (1992–1995) and as the [[Secretary General of NATO]] (1995–1999), leading the alliance during [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia|Operation Allied Force]], he was appointed the [[European Union]]'s [[High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy]], [[Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union|Secretary General of the Council of the European Union]] and [[Secretary-General]] of the [[Western European Union]] and held these posts from October 1999 until December 2009.


==Background and career as a physicist==
==Family history==
Solana was born in [[Madrid]], Spain. He comes from a prominent Spanish family, being a first cousin, twice removed, of diplomat, writer, historian, and pacifist [[Salvador de Madariaga]]<ref>[http://www.luissolana.com/?page_id=2 Biography of Luis Solana (brother of Javier Solana) at his blog] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612104540/http://www.luissolana.com/?page_id=2 |date=12 June 2007 }} (in Spanish):{{blockquote|Heredó de su abuelo materno [Rogelio de Madariaga y Castro] la revista "España Económica", publicación que dio cabida a jóvenes economistas críticos con el régimen de Franco. Sobrino nieto de D. Salvador de Madariaga.<br /> He inherited from his maternal grandfather [Rogelio de Madariaga y Castro] the magazine "España Económica", which accommodated young economists critical of the Franco regime. (He's) the grand nephew of D. Salvador de Madariaga}}</ref> (Javier's grandfather, Rogelio de Madariaga and Salvador de Madariaga were cousins). His father was a chemistry professor, Luis Solana San Martín, who died when Javier was nineteen. His mother, Obdulia de Madariaga Pérez, died in 2005.<ref name="obdulia">{{cite web|url=http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/2005/04/17/086.html|title=ABC (Madrid) - 17/04/2005, p. 86 - ABC.es Hemeroteca|website=hemeroteca.abc.es|date=3 September 2019}}</ref><ref>[http://www.insde.es/ramhg/textos%20heraldica/MOVIMIENTO%20NOBILIARIO%201934.pdf Movimiento nobiliario 1934] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091025012712/http://www.insde.es/ramhg/textos%20heraldica/movimiento%20nobiliario%201934.pdf |date=25 October 2009 }}, page 167. News about the marriage between Luis Solana San Martín and Obdulia Madariaga.</ref><ref>[http://www.luissolana.com/?p=276 ¡Feliz Navidad, Maribel!], post in Luis Solana's blog (Luis Solana is Javier's brother) and the post accounts mentions the five brothers.</ref><ref>[http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1945/06/10/042.html Death notice of Enrique de Madariaga y Pérez-Gros]. It mentions Obdulia as sister and Luis Solana San Martín as brother-in-law.</ref><ref>[http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1949/11/17/029.html Death notice of Juana San Martín Yoldi, widow of Ezequiel Solana]. It mentions all her sibling, including Luis.</ref> Javier is the third of five children.<ref name="obdulia"/> His older brother [[Luis Solana|Luis]] was once imprisoned for his political activities opposing the dictatorship of [[Francisco Franco]], subsequently became a distinguished leader in the Spanish telecommunications industry<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luissolana.com/?page_id=2|title=Biografia|work=Luis Solana|access-date=23 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612104540/http://www.luissolana.com/?page_id=2|archive-date=12 June 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> and was one of the first socialist members of the [[Trilateral Commission]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trilateral.org/AnnMtgs/trialog/trlglist.htm |title=Trilateral Commission Annual Meeting Publications |access-date=2007-12-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806205328/http://www.trilateral.org/annmtgs/trialog/trlglist.htm |archive-date= 6 August 2007 }}</ref>


Solana studied at the [[Colegio del Pilar (Madrid)|Nuestra Señora del Pilar School]], an exclusive Catholic [[Society of Mary (Marianists)|Marianist]] secondary school, before going to [[Complutense University]] (UCM). There as a student in 1963 he suffered sanctions imposed by the authorities for having organised an opposition forum at the so-called Week of University Renovation. In 1964 he clandestinely joined the [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party]] (PSOE), which had been illegal under Franco since the end of the [[Spanish Civil War]] in 1939. In the same year he graduated and then spent a year furthering his studies at [[Spain's Higher Council for Scientific Research]] (CSIC) and in the United Kingdom.
Solana was born on [[July 14]], [[1942]] as Javier Solana de Madariaga in [[Madrid]], [[Spain]]. On his maternal side, he is the grandson of famous Spanish diplomat/writer [[Salvador de Madariaga]] ([[1886]]-[[1978]]). Salvador de Madariaga at various times served as Spanish ambassador to the United States and as chief of the Disarmament Section of the League of Nations. At various points in his career, he also taught at England's Oxford University. He was a prolific writer, the author of many books dealing with philosophy, politics, and Latin American concerns. Solana's maternal grandmother, Constance Archibald de Madariaga was born Scottish. Like her diplomat-writer husband, she was also a well known scholar. She was professionally and academically known as an economic historian. Javier is the younger of the two sons of de Madariaga's daughter [[Nieves de Madariaga|Nieves]] ([[1917]]-[[2003]]). Javier's older brother, Luis Solana de Madariaga, was born in Madrid in 1935. Solana's mother, like her more famous father, was also a published scholar and writer. Her full name at the time of her death was Nieves Hayat de Madariaga Mathews. She was employed for upwards of 20 years by the FAO ([[Food and Agricultural Organization]]), a [[United Nations]] agency headquartered in [[Rome]]. Her [[Yale University]]-published book on the life of [[Sir Francis Bacon]] was released in [[1996]]. The 606 page volume is entitled, ''Francis Bacon: The History of a Character Assassination''. Interestingly, Nieves de Madariaga Mathews (Solana's mother) claimed in her acknowledgements that the book was suggested and blessed by "my teacher, Osho, who thought highly of Francis Bacon and gave the book his blessing." Osho is more commonly known in USA circles as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Rajneesh gained extensive notoriety in the USA in the 1980s for his alleged Oregon cult compound. He was deported from the USA for its claimed excesses. As well as Rajneesh, Solana's mother was equally deeply and publicly influenced by the works of Immanuel Velikovsky. She devoted much time to her pursuit of both Velikovsky and Sir Francis Bacon literacy and causes.


In 1965 he went to the United States, where he spent six years studying at various universities on a [[Fulbright Program|Fulbright Scholarship]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cidob.org/es/documentacion/biografias_lideres_politicos/europa/espana/javier_solana_madariaga|title=CIDOB|access-date=4 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070905204601/http://www.cidob.org/es/documentacion/biografias_lideres_politicos/europa/espana/javier_solana_madariaga|archive-date=5 September 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> He visited the [[University of Chicago]] and the [[University of California, San Diego]], and then enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences of the [[University of Virginia]] in [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]]. There, he taught physics classes as a teaching assistant and carried on independent research; he also joined in the [[Opposition to the Vietnam War|protests]] against the [[Vietnam War]] and was president of the Association of Foreign Students. He received his doctorate in physics from Virginia in 1971 with a thesis on ''Theory of the Elementary Excitation Spectrum of [[Superfluid]] [[Helium]]: the [[Roton]] Lifetime'', extending his planned stay in the US by a year in order to continue his research. Returning to Spain he became a lecturer in [[solid-state physics]] at the [[Autonomous University of Madrid]], UAM, and then in 1975 he became a professor at Complutense University. During these years he published more than 30 articles. For a time he worked as assistant to [[Nicolás Cabrera (physicist)|Nicolás Cabrera]], whom he had met when Cabrera was professor at the University of Virginia. The last PhD [[dissertation]]s that he directed were in the early 1990s.
Javier Solana's maternal aunt is [[Isabel de Madariaga]], a professor emeritus of [[Slavonic Studies]] at the [[College of London]]. A brilliant and thorough scholar, she has published extensive historical works, most notably about Russian empress, [[Catherine the Great]]. Javier Solana's older brother [[Luis Solana]] is a retired Spanish telephone company chief executive officer; he was the first known [[Socialist]] party member to join the [[Trilateral Commission]]. Javier Solana, likewise, is active with the Trilateral Commission as he is with the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] (CFR) where although not a member, he is a frequent speaker and close friend of many of its principals. He is likewise active with the [[Foreign Policy Association]] (FPA).


==Spanish politics==
On Solana's paternal side, his grandfather was [[Don Ezequiel Solana de Ramirez]]. He was reportedly a revered educator and text book author who died in [[1931]]. Luis and Javier's father was Don Ezequiel Solana's son Francisco Solana.
On returning to Spain in 1971 Solana joined the Democratic Co-ordination of Madrid as the [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party]] (PSOE) representative.


In 1976, during PSOE's first national congress inside Spain since the [[Spanish Civil War|civil war]], he was elected Secretary of the party's Federal Executive Commission, and also Secretary for Information and Press, remaining in the post for five years. He was a close personal friend of the party's leader [[Felipe González]], and is considered one of the PSOE leaders responsible for the transformation of the party in the post-Franco era. In 1976 he represented the PSOE at a [[Socialist International]] congress held in [[Suresnes]], France, and again when it was held in Spain in 1977. On 20 May 1977 he accompanied González in visiting [[Juan Carlos I of Spain|King Juan Carlos]] at the Zarzuela Palace.
==Education, Early Career, and Associations==


He became a representative of a teachers' union in the Complutense University, and in this role won a [[Congress of Deputies (Spain)|parliamentary]] seat for PSOE on 15 June 1977 and represented [[Madrid (Congress of Deputies constituency)|Madrid region]] until December 1995. On 23 February 1981 he was in the [[Cortes Generales|parliament]] when it was taken over for 18 hours in an attempted [[23-F|coup]] by gunmen led by [[Antonio Tejero]].
Javier Solana's most personally listed affiliation apart from the Socialist party is the Spanish chapter of the [[Club of Rome]]. On a personal level, he has been said to "eat little and sleep less;" his is reportedly "a monk's diet of fish and fruit." Some accounts state that although he is active in global disarmament efforts, his favorite personal hobby is "collecting guns".


On 28 October 1982 PSOE won a historic victory with 202 out of 350 seats in the [[Congress of Deputies (Spain)|lower house]]. On 3 December, along with the other members of González's first cabinet, Solana was sworn in as Minister for Culture, where he remained until moving to the Ministry of Education in 1988. In July 1983 he adhered to the position of [[Alfonso Guerra]] calling for an exit of Spain from [[NATO]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://elpais.com/diario/1983/07/20/espana/427500002_850215.html|journal=[[El País]]|title=Los ministros Solana, Maravall, Lluch y Campo coinciden con Guerra en que España no debe permanecer en la OTAN|date=20 July 1983|first=Juan|last=Roldán}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/4847684.pdf|page=298|title= España en democracia: Actas del IV Congreso de Historia de Nuestro Tiempo|editor=Carlos Navajas Zubeldía & Diego Iturriaga Barco (Coords.)|year=2014|isbn=978-84-617-1203-8 <!--págs. 293-305-->|chapter=OTAN de entrada No. El PSOE y el uso político de la integración española en el Pacto Atlántico o cómo hacer de la necesidad virtud, 1980-1986|first=Carlos Ángel|last=Ordás}}</ref> On 5 July 1985 he was made the Spokesman for the Government for three years.
Professionally, apart from his political careers, Solana holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry (Received in Spain in 1963), a Master's Degree obtained in Great Britain, and a doctorate in [[physics]]; he is fond of saying that "in a previous incarnation I worked as a professor in solid-state physics." He received his doctorate in 1968 while studying at the [[University of Virginia]] under a [[Fulbright Scholarship]] in the United States. He taught and worked as a researcher at the University of Virginia between 1968 and 1971.
Solana left the USA in [[1971]] to return to [[Spain]] with one of his teaching mentors. There he became employed by [[Complutense University]] of Madrid, Spain. Again, he was banished for political reasons, i.e. opposition to the Franco government. In [[1975]] his political nemesis, Generalissimo [[Francisco Franco]] died. Thereupon Solana, expelled in his youth for anti-Franco rebellion, gained a Complutense University professorship. That year, also, he involved himself in Spanish political life. As a representative of a teacher's union, he ran and won election as the Socialist candidate for the parliamentary seat he was to begin occupying in [[July, 1977|July]] [[1977]].


He was made Minister for Foreign Affairs on 22 July 1992, the day before the opening of the II [[Organization of Ibero-American States|Ibero-American]] conference of [[head of state|heads of state]] in Madrid, replacing the terminally ill [[Francisco Fernández Ordóñez]]. On 27–28 November 1995, while Spain held the [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union|Presidency of the Council of the EU]], Solana convened and chaired the [[Barcelona Conference]]. A treaty was achieved between the twenty-seven nations in attendance with Solana gaining credit for what he called "a process to foster cultural and economic unity in the [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean region]]".
Solana has been a member of the Spanish socialist party [[PSOE]] since [[1964]]. That was the year as well that he joined the "Socialist Youth." In 1976, he represented the Socialists at an internation Socialist Congress held in the French province of Suresnes. He participated in the same Congress held in 1977 in Spain. Solana was designated secretary of Information and Press of the Federal Executive Commission of the PSOE. He was also active in the Teacher's Union, the Federation of Workers of the Education of the General Union of Trabajadores (UGT). He was elected to the Spanish parliament as a representative of the Teacher's Union in 1977. He was continuously a member of the Spanish parliament and steadily advanced in the Ferdinand Gonzalez administration through various cabinet positions.


It was during these thirteen years as a cabinet minister that Solana's reputation as a discreet and diplomatic politician grew. By going to the foreign Ministry in the later years of González administration he avoided the political scandals of corruption, and of the [[GAL (paramilitary group)|dirty war]] allegedly being fought against [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]], that characterised its last years. Towards the end of 1995, Solana – the only surviving member of González's original cabinet – was talked about in the press as a possible candidate to replace him and lead the PSOE in the following March elections. Instead, he made the leap to international politics.
Between [[1982]] and [[1995]] he held powerful positions in the Spanish government including that of the Minister for Culture, Minister of Science and Education and lastly as Minister for Foreign Affairs ([[1992]]-[[1995]]). For most of those years he was also the official spokesman for the Spanish government. When it was Spain's turn to hold the rotating chairmanships/presidencies of the Council of the European Union and the Western European Union, Solana was designated by Spain to head those posts. Those dual posts would coincide in 1995.


During and after his spell as NATO secretary general (see below) Solana continued to play an active role in PSOE and Spanish politics. In June 1997, at the 34th PSOE Congress, Solana left their Executive Commission and joined their Federal Committee, being re-elected in second place three years later. By supporting [[Colin Powell]]'s 5 February 2003 speech to the UN Security council which claimed that Iraq had [[Weapon of mass destruction|WMD's]]{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} Solana contradicted the position of his party leader [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]], who opposed the [[People's Party (Spain)|PP]] government of [[José María Aznar]]'s support for the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]]. Solana is seen, along with González, as representing the older wing of the party. On 15 February 2005 he criticised the [[Juan José Ibarretxe|Plan Ibarretxe]] for its position on [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]] independence, saying that its call for separate Basque representation within the EU had no place within the proposed EU constitution.
On [[November 20]]th, [[1995]], during Spain's turn at the rotating six month [[presidency of the European Union]], Javier Solana concluded a treaty between the European Union and [[Israel]].


== Role in NATO ==
==Secretary General of NATO==
On [[November 30]], [[1995]], Solana was appointed as [[NATO]] Secretary General. His selection was a surprise to many, including 52 United States congressmen who telegraphically protested his appointment because of his alleged [[Marxism]] and open [[Castro]] sympathies. He had once been on the USA's own subversive list. He was best known, per the Spanish newspapers observing the scene, as one of Spain's most vocal and most prominent opponents of NATO. He had once written a pamphlet, "''50 Reasons to say NO to NATO''." Between [[1995]] and [[1999]], Solana was NATO Secretary General.


On 5 December 1995, Solana became the new [[Secretary General of NATO|Secretary-General]] of [[NATO]], replacing [[Willy Claes]] who had been forced to resign in a corruption scandal. His appointment created controversy as, in the past, he had been an opponent of NATO. He had written a pamphlet called ''50 Reasons to say no to NATO'', and had been on a US subversives list.{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} On 30 May 1982 Spain joined NATO. When PSOE came to power later that year, Solana and the party changed their previous anti-NATO positions into an [[Atlanticism|atlanticist]], pro-NATO stance. On 12 March 1986 Spain held a [[1986 Spanish NATO membership referendum|referendum]] on whether to remain in NATO, with the government and Solana successfully campaigning in favour. When criticised about his anti-NATO past, Solana argued that he was happy to be its representative as it had become disassociated from its [[Cold War]] origins.
The Secretary General of NATO usually has a ministerial role, passing on instructions from the member nations' consensus to its military components, but during his 1995 to 1999 NATO tenure, Solana was given sole unusual powers to make military decisions over [[Yugoslavia]]. For example, on [[January 30]], [[1999]], he was given sole power to make all further military decisions over NATO [[Balkan]] operations. This included the say so on whether or not bombings should occur. [[Madeline Albright]], USA Secretary of State then said by way of explanation, "Solana has the power and has had it since [[January 30]], 1999. We are speaking with one voice through Javier Solana.", and on [[March 21]], [[1999]], USA President [[Bill Clinton]] told a national American television audience in regards to the forthcoming bombings: "I agree with Javier Solana's decision to do this." The order to commence bombing against Yugoslavian targets was subsequently given solely by Solana.
[[Image:Javier Solana Clinton.jpg|thumb|Solana with [[Bill Clinton]] and [[Madeleine Albright]], 1999]]
Solana immediately had to deal with the [[Balkans]] NATO mission Operation ''Joint Endeavour'' that consisted of a multinational peacekeeping ''[[Implementation Force]]'' (IFOR) of 60,000 soldiers which took over from a United Nations mission on 20 December.
This came about through the [[Dayton Agreement]], after NATO had [[Operation Deliberate Force|bombed]] selected targets in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (positions held by [[Army of Republika Srpska|VRS]]) the previous August and September. He did this by deploying the [[Allied Rapid Reaction Corps]] (ARRC). In December 1996 the ARRC was again activated, with IFOR being replaced by a 32,000-strong [[Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina|Stabilisation Force]] (SFOR) operating under codenames ''Joint Guard'' and later ''Joint Forge''.


During Solana's term, NATO reorganised its political and military structure and changed its basic strategies. He gained the reputation of being a very successful, diplomatic Secretary General who was capable of negotiating between the differing NATO members and between NATO and non-NATO States. In December 1995 France partially returned to the military structure of NATO, while in November 1996 Spain joined it. On 27 May 1997, after five months of negotiations with Russian foreign minister [[Yevgeny Primakov]], an agreement was reached resulting in the Paris NATO–Russia Founding Act.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_25468.htm|title=NATO - Official text: Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation signed in Paris, France, 27-May.-1997|publisher=NATO}}</ref> On the same day, Solana presided over the establishment of the [[Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council]] to improve relations between European NATO and non-NATO countries.
USA General [[Wesley Clark]], who as head military officer of the NATO coalition reported to and took orders from Solana, reports in his book WAGING MODERN WAR that he once asked Solana the secret of his success. Solana reflected briefly and then answered, "First make no enemies. Then never ask a question to which you do not know or do not like the answer."
{{Clear}}


Keeping the peace in the former [[Yugoslavia]] continued to be both difficult and controversial. IFOR and SFOR had received a lot of criticism for their inability to capture the [[Bosnian Serb]] leaders [[Radovan Karadžić]] and [[Ratko Mladić]]. In late 1998 the [[Kosovo War|conflict]] in [[Kosovo]], between the [[Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] authorities and the [[Kosovar Albanian]] guerilla [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] deteriorated, culminating in the [[Račak massacre]] on 15 January 1999, in which 45 [[Albanians]] were killed. NATO decided that the conflict could only be settled by introducing a proper military peacekeeping force under their auspices, to forcibly restrain the two sides.{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} On 30 January 1999, NATO announced that it was prepared to launch air strikes against Yugoslav targets. On 6 February, Solana met both sides for negotiations at the [[Château de Rambouillet]], but they were unsuccessful.
Despite his activity in world politics, most Americans are unfamiliar with Solana's name, the [[Barcelona Process]], and certainly the extent of his growing powers which are becoming increasingly global in scope and influence.
[[File:Pentagon meeting March 15 1999, 990315-D-9880W-016.jpg|thumb|Solana meets with Secretary of Defense [[William Cohen]] at the Pentagon on 15 March 1999]]
On 24 March, NATO forces launched [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia|air attacks]] on military and civilian targets in [[Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]. Solana [[Legitimacy of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia|justified the attacks]] on humanitarian grounds, and on the responsibility of NATO to keep peace in Europe and to prevent recurrences of [[ethnic cleansing]] and [[genocide]] similar to those which [[Bosnian genocide|occurred]] during the [[Bosnian War]] (1992–1995).


Solana and NATO were criticised for the civilian casualties caused by the bombings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/press/2000/02/nato207.htm|title=New Figures on Civilian Deaths in Kosovo War(Human Rights Watch Press Release, Feb. 7, 2000)|website=Hrw.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/Kosovo/Kosovo-Current%20News176.htm|title=Human Rights Watch Letter to NATO Secretary General Concerning Allaged Violations of the Laws of War. (13 May 1999)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224230203/http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/Kosovo/Kosovo-Current%20News176.htm |access-date=1 July 2022|archive-date=24 February 2012 }}</ref>
== Roles in the EU and the Western European Union ==
On 23–24 April, the [[North Atlantic Council]] met in Washington D.C. where the [[Heads of State]] of the member nations agreed with the ''New Strategic Concept'', which changed the basic defensive nature of the organisation and allowed for NATO intervention in a greater range of situations than before.


On 10 June, Serbian forces withdrew from Kosovo, and NATO stopped its attacks, which ended the Kosovo War. The same day [[UN Security Council Resolution 1244]] authorised NATO to activate the [[Allied Rapid Reaction Corps|ARRC]], with the [[Kosovo Force]] launching Operation ''Joint Guardian'' and occupying the province on 12 June. Solana left NATO on 6 October 1999, two months ahead of schedule, and was replaced by [[George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen|George Robertson]].
Solana's NATO term was to have expired in December, 1999; however, he left that job two months early, in October 1999, to take a job proposed and created by the December, 1998 Vienna Council: the December 1998 proposed "Office of the High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy curiously enough created under the interestingly numbered Section 666 of the official European codification of that job. [http://http://europa.eu.int/abc/doc/off/rg/en/1998/x0666.htm] The job is also more informally sometimes called "[[Señor PESC]]" ("[[Mr PESC]]", in Spanish media)- [[Post of European Security Commissioner]]). He was also given the title and responsibility of Secretary General of the European Union; this was for the purpose of giving continuity between the EU's 6 month rotating presidential administrations. These positions caused Solana to be generally described by the European press as "[[tsar]] of European military and foreign policy."


==EU foreign policy chief==
On [[November 20]], [[1999]], Javier Solana was also selected by the ten-nation core of the [[Western European Union]] (WEU) to be its pending Secretary General, pending unification with the European Union. However, on [[June 5]], [[2000]], the ten nation WEU in its Assembly Recommendation 666 [http://http://www.assemblee-ueo.org/en/documents/sessions_ordinaires/txt/2000/rec666.html] noted that under its governing treaties, complete merger could not occur, and therefore they support a proposal to have the WEU Secretary General and CFSP High Representative (both Solana) preside over the PSC ([[Political Security Committee]]) and convene the council of the European Union in the event of an emergency. (Such an emergency was declared after the 3/11 ([[March 11]], [[2004]]) [[Madrid train bombings]].)
[[File:Vladimir Putin, Silvio Berlusconi and Javier Solana.jpg|thumb|Italian Prime Minister [[Silvio Berlusconi]], Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] and Solana at the EU-Russia summit in Rome, 2003]]
[[File:Hassan Rouhani -Brussels Agreement (TCA) - December 14, 2004.png|thumb|Solana with [[Hassan Rouhani]], 2004]]
After leaving NATO, Solana took up a role in the [[European Union]]. Earlier in the year, on 4 June 1999, he was appointed by the [[List of European Councils#Cologne 1999|Cologne European Council]] as Secretary-General of the [[Council of the European Union]]. An administrative position but it was decided that the Secretary-General would also be appointed [[High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy]] (CFSP). In this role he represented the EU abroad where there was an agreed common policy. He took up the post on 18 October 1999, shortly after standing down from NATO. The post has a budget of €40 million, most of which goes to Balkan operations. From 25 November 1999 he was also appointed Secretary-General of [[Western European Union]] (WEU), overseeing the transfer of responsibilities from that organisation to the CFSP. In 2004 his 5-year mandate was renewed. He has also become president of the [[European Defence Agency]].


The [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] administration claimed in May 2000 that Solana was the fulfilment of [[Henry Kissinger]]'s famous desire to have a phone number to talk to Europe.{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} In December 2003 Solana released the [[European Security Strategy]], which sets out the main priorities and identifies the main threats to the security of the EU, including terrorism. On 25 March 2004 Solana appointed [[Gijs de Vries]] as the anti-terrorist co-ordinator for the CFSP, and outlined his duties as being to streamline, organise and co-ordinate the EU's fight against terrorism.
This appointment came on the same day as major world leaders were gathering at deceased British author Sir Harold Acton's old [[Italy|Italian]] villa then and now owned by [[New York University]]'s School of Law. The gathering was of the [[Third Way Movement]]. Solana was in attendance at the villa as were U.S. [[Bill Clinton|President]] and [[Hillary Clinton|Mrs. Clinton]], [[United Kingdom|British]] Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], [[Romano Prodi]] and many other distinguished transatlantic leaders.


On 29 June 2004 he was designated to become the EU's first "Union Minister for Foreign Affairs", a position created by the [[Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe|European Constitutional Treaty]] combining the head of the [[CFSP]] with that of the [[European Commissioner for External Relations]]. It would give a single voice to foreign policy and combine the powers and influence of the two posts with a larger budget, more staff and a coherent diplomatic corps. The position (colloquially known as "Mr. Europe") has been partly maintained in the [[Treaty of Lisbon|Reform Treaty]] as ''[[High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy]]'', but Solana is not going to take the post as he announced that he would step down at the end of his term.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120914043812/http://www.rnw.nl/ar/node/10170] {{dead link|date=July 2022}}</ref>
Javier Solana presides over Europe's [[Political Security Committee]] (PSC). All seated on that committee hold ambassador rank in the EU and serve at the pleasure of Javier Solana. All foreign ambassadors of the European Union entity (as opposed to its individual countries) as well as all EU military personnel are ultimately accountable to the Council of the European Union through Javier Solana. The EU's hope is that the pending new European constitution will strengthen and extend this European federal type set of structures.


In late 2004, Solana held secret negotiations with [[Hamas]] leaders, saying that he met them at a time when there seemed to be an opportunity for progress, and were to "pass a clear message of what the international community wants", and said that the meetings occurred "months" before.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4040571.stm|title=BBC NEWS - Middle East - EU denies secret talks with Hamas|website=Bbc.co.uk|date=25 November 2004}}</ref>
In December 2003, Solana published the [[European Security Strategy]]. It called for the European Union to play a strong and decisive role in the creation of its vision of a "New World Order."


===Foreign affairs===
Javier Solana did most or even all of the spearheading and coordination of the [[Barcelona Conference]], the launching pad of the 27 nation [[Barcelona Process]] expected to lead to a Mediterranean free trade zone by [[2010]]. This conference was opened by him on November 27, 1995. He opened by declaring that it was auspicious that it began on the 900th anniversary of the calling of the [[first crusade]] by [[Pope Urban II]], and commented "What a lot of intolerance and misunderstanding that led to." The conference concluded with the 27 nations signing the Barcelona Treaty.
[[File:Javier Solana Colin Powell.jpg|thumb|Solana with [[Colin Powell]] in April 2003]]
He negotiated numerous Treaties of Association between the European Union and various Middle Eastern and [[Latin American]] countries, including [[Bolivia]] and [[Colombia]]. Solana played a pivotal role in unifying the remainder of the former Yugoslavian federation. He proposed that [[Montenegro]] form a union with [[Serbia]] instead of having full independence, stating that this was done to avoid a [[domino effect]] from [[Kosovo]] and [[Vojvodina]] independence demands. Local media sarcastically named the new country "Solania".{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}


On 21 January 2002 Solana said that the detainees at [[Guantanamo Bay detainment camp|Guantanamo Bay]] should be treated as prisoners of war under the [[Geneva Convention]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Solana urges POW status for Afghan captives|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/solana-urges-pow-status-for-afghan-captives-1.411034|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|access-date=14 February 2017}}</ref> The EU has stated that it hopes to avoid another war like the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|Iraqi invasion]] through this and future negotiations, and Solana has said the most difficult moments of his job were when the United Kingdom and France, the two permanent EU [[Security Council]] members, were in [[Iraq disarmament crisis|disagreement]].
Solana has also negotiated numerous "Treaties of Association" between the European Union and various Mideast countries. In his tenure with the European Union, Javier Solana has been relatively busy on the world stage negotiating various integration treaties with South American countries such as [[Bolivia]] and [[Colombia]]. He has also been a vital part of the Quartet for Peace in the Middle East along with [[Kofi Annan]] of the [[United Nations]], a [[Russia]]n representative, and a USA representative. He has been said to be a primary architect of "The Roadmap" itself issued by "The Quartet",


The so-called [[Vilnius letter]], a declaration of support by eastern European countries for the United States' aim of régime change in Iraq, and [[the letter of the eight]], a similar letter from the UK, Italy, and six second-tier countries, are generally seen {{By whom|date=December 2010}} as a low-water mark of the CFSP.
In November 2004, Solana assisted Britain, France, and Germany in negotiating a nuclear material enrichment freeze with the leadership of Iran. The EU through Solana stated it hoped to avoid another American-Iraqi style invasion through this and future negotiations. [http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=617235&section=news Reuters]
Others, particularly in the USA and England were more cynical about the motives. Rather than believe them altruistic, some British observers starting in the late 1990s stated that perhaps the EU's motives, engineered through Solana, were to dislodge the USA as a competing superpower in the coming 21st century struggle for increasingly scarce global resources. They pointed to the EU's own military buildup under the auspices of "peacekeeping" as perhaps a cover for planned future anti-USA efforts.


[[File:Ukrainian Round Table 2004.jpg|thumb|Round table talks with Ukrainian and foreign representatives during the [[Orange Revolution]] in [[Ukraine]], on 1 December 2004]]
== "Solania" ==
Solana has played an important role working toward a resolution to the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]], and continues to be a primary architect of the "[[Road Map for Peace]]," along with the UN, Russia, and the United States in the [[Quartet on the Middle East]]. On 22 July 2004 he met [[Ariel Sharon]] in Israel. Sharon had originally refused to meet Solana, but eventually accepted that, whether he liked it or not, the EU was involved in the Road Map. He criticised Israel for obstructing the [[2005 Palestinian presidential election|Palestinian presidential election]] of 9 January 2005, but then met Sharon again on 13 January.
Solana claimed a pivotal role in unifying the remainder of the former Yugoslavian federation. Reportedly, he proposed accommodating the Montenegrine desires within the new loose union of [[Serbia and Montenegro]] (2003), instead of full independence of the parts. Solana claimed this was done to avoid a domino effect from [[Kosovo]] and [[Vojvodina]] independence demands. Local media sarcastically named the new country "Solania" after its claimed architect. Still other observers have pointed to this as a "Balkan reduction." They point out that Solana has obviously done by a combination of borrowed NATO military power and diplomacy what some historians say Hitler failed to do: reduce the Balkans. Some view this with apprehension in view of Jacques Santers' stated aims and recent calls by France to dislodge the United States as a competing superpower.


In November 2004 Solana assisted the United Kingdom, France and Germany in negotiating a nuclear material enrichment freeze with [[Iran]]. In the same month he was involved in mediating between the two presidential candidates in the [[Post-election developments in Ukraine, 2004|post-election developments]] in Ukraine, and on 21 January 2005 he invited Ukraine's new President [[Viktor Yushchenko]] to discuss future EU membership.<ref name=Waging>Clark, Wesley K. ''Waging Modern War''. New York: Perseus Books Group, 2001–2002, p. 15</ref>
== Future ==
[[File:Manmohan Singh at the family photograph of India –EU summit with the President of the European Commission Mr. Barroso, the Prime Minister of Finland, Mr. Matti Vanhanen and the Secretary General of the European Union.jpg|thumb|President of the European Commission [[José Manuel Barroso]], Indian Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]], Finnish Prime Minister [[Matti Vanhanen]] and Solana at the EU-India summit in Helsinki, 2006]]
In 2010, after he had left office, Solana signed a petition along with 25 other EU leaders directed at his successor, [[Catherine Ashton]], calling for EU sanctions on [[Israel]] in response to continued [[Israeli settlement|settlement construction]] in the [[West Bank]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11968304|title=Former EU leaders urge sanctions for Israel settlements|date=10 December 2010|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>


==Other activities==
Increasingly [[as of 2004]], there is increased reliance on Javier Solana on the part of the EU and the WEU, which has noticeably strengthened his military and foreign power. On [[June 29]], 2004 Javier Solana was selected by the [[Council of the European Union]] to be its first Foreign Minister under the new [[EU constitution]]. Until formal ratification of the constitution occurs (slated for [[2006]]), Solana is ''de facto'' exercising the defined powers of that future office as well as its approximate 26 billion [[euro]]s budget (formerly reserved for the Commissioner of External Affairs).
* Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Member of the Board of Trustees<ref>[https://www.isglobal.org/en/governance Governance] Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).</ref>
* [[Council on Foreign Relations]] (CFR), Member of the Global Board of Advisors<ref>[https://www.cfr.org/global-board-advisors Global Board of Advisors] [[Council on Foreign Relations]] (CFR).</ref>
* [[Elcano Royal Institute|Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies]], Member of the Board of Trustees<ref>[http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/rielcano_en/about-elcano/board-of-trustees Board of Trustees] [[Elcano Royal Institute|Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies]].</ref>
* [[Global Leadership Foundation]] (GLF), Member<ref>[https://www.g-l-f.org/index.cfm?pagepath=Members/Members_by_Region&id=82634 Membership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306055817/https://www.g-l-f.org/index.cfm?pagepath=Members%2FMembers_by_Region&id=82634 |date=6 March 2019 }} [[Global Leadership Foundation]] (GLF).</ref>
* [[International Crisis Group]] (ICG), Board of Trustees (since 2010)<ref>[https://www.crisisgroup.org/who-we-are/crisis-group-updates/crisis-group-announces-new-board-members-01-07-2010 Crisis Group Announces New Board Members] [[International Crisis Group]] (ICG), press release of 1 July 2010.</ref>
* [[Munich Security Conference]], Member of the Advisory Council<ref>[https://www.securityconference.de/en/about/advisory-council/ Advisory Council] [[Munich Security Conference]]</ref>
* [[Project Syndicate]], Contributor (since 2004)
* [[European Leadership Network]] (ELN), Senior Network Member<ref>{{Cite web|title=Senior Network|url=https://www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org/networks/network-members/|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Europeanleadershipnetwork.org|language=en-GB}}</ref>


==Personal life==
A sign of that is that Solana no longer travels with the [[EU presidency|EU rotating presidency]] and the Commissioner of External Affairs ([[Chris Patten]]) as the reigning EU "troika" -- since the vote of the Council of Ministers, Solana now speaks and travels as the sole voice rather than one of three voices.
Solana is married to Concepción Giménez, and they have two adult children, Diego and Vega. He lives in [[Brussels]], where his apartment has a reputation of being a focal point for Spanish politicians in or visiting this capital. Apart from his native Spanish, he also speaks fluent French, as well as English.


General [[Wesley Clark]] once asked Solana the secret of his diplomatic success. He answered: "Make no enemies, and never ask a question to which you do not know or like the answer."<ref name=Waging/> He has been described as a "[[squaring the circle|squarer of circles]]."{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}}
This was dramatically illustrated by events in [[Israel]] on or about July 20 to 22nd (2004). Israel's Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] declined to meet with Solana, saying that because of an EU vote against Israel at the UN that Israel would not work with the EU, notwithstanding despite its prominence on the [[Quartet for Peace]] in the [[Middle East]]. Solana stunned the world, Israel included, by replying that like it or not, both he and the EU were there to stay on the Israeli-Palestinian decision making processes.


U.S. ambassador to NATO [[Alexander Vershbow]] said of him: "He is an extraordinary consensus-builder who works behind the scenes with leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to ensure that NATO is united when it counts."{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}} He is a frequent speaker at the prestigious U.S. based [[Council on Foreign Relations]] (CFR). He is likewise active in the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) as well as the New York City based East West Institute. In March 2010, Solana became honorary president of the [[Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue]], and in 2011 became a Member of the [[Global Leadership Foundation]], an organization which works to promote good governance around the world. He also became a member of [[Human Rights Watch]] board of directors the same year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-01-27|title=Solana, Jilani, and Matsumoto Join Human Rights Watch Board|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/01/27/solana-jilani-and-matsumoto-join-human-rights-watch-board|access-date=2020-10-26|website=Human Rights Watch|language=en}}</ref>
The Clinton White House once announced in a press conference that Javier Solana was the fulfillment of [[Henry Kissinger]]'s long stated wish to have only one phone number to ring up for Europe. Post June 29, 2004, many other sources were making the same observation -- that Kissinger (and anybody else) could ring up Europe by calling only Javier Solana.


He is an honorary Knight Commander of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]], a member of the Spanish section of the [[Club of Rome]]. He has received the [[Order of Isabella the Catholic|Grand Cross of]] [[Isabella I of Castile|Isabel the Catholic]] in Spain and the [[Manfred Wörner|Manfred Wörner Medal]] from the German defence ministry. He has been President of the [[Madariaga - College of Europe Foundation]] since 1998. He received the [[Vision for Europe Award]] in 2003. Also in 2003, he received the 'Statesman of the Year Award' from the [[EastWest Institute]], a Transatlantic think tank that organizes an annual security conference in Brussels. In 2006 Solana received the [[Wateler Peace Prize|Carnegie-Wateler peace prize]]. He has also been awarded the [[Charlemagne Prize]] for 2007 for his distinguished services on behalf of European unification.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.karlspreis.de/index.php?id=32&doc=62|title=Internationaler Karlspreis zu Aachen – News<!-- Bot generated title -->|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105051208/http://www.karlspreis.de/index.php?id=32&doc=62|archive-date=5 January 2007}}</ref> In December 2009, Javier Solana joined ESADE Business School as president of its new Centre for Global Economy and Geopolitics. In January 2010, King [[Juan Carlos I]] appointed Javier Solana the 1,194th [[Knight]] of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]] for his career in diplomacy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2010/01/23/pdfs/BOE-A-2010-1055.pdf|title=OTRAS DISPOSICIONES : JEFATURA DEL ESTADO|website=Boe.es|access-date=1 July 2022}}</ref>
Some Solana-watchers are noting his rise to power with growing fascination. They have said that three countries presently stand in the way of controlling the Foreign Minister seat as he says is necessary to have one effective voice speak for Europe. The three countries that presently appear to be taking preventive measures to block him are Germany, France, and England. While they have been and continue to be from time to time enthusiastic Solana supporters, it appears they are aligning to form a type of an "EU directorate." According to an article appearing in BBC News[http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3500949.stm] although England's Tony Blair, France's Jacques Chirac; and Germany's Gerhard Schroeder had made unconvincing denials of an attempted EU power grab, that they were evidently trying to do just that. The apparent and even obvious purpose is to continue to control as much as possible EU foreign policy after the new constitution takes final effect. If Solana is to truly become the one voice speaking for Europe as he desires and plans for his full seat of Euro-power as the new EU Foreign Minister, as he projected he planned to do in a a more recent Der Spiegel article [http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,324799,00.html], realistically he would first have to find a way to curtail these EU governments and their present leaders' ambitions to properly fit his foreign policy agenda. Some observers note that this would entail a necessary and even potentially ugly power struggle if he is to assume the powers projected for the upcoming post. In doing so, some say that if he is successful in throwing off this potential trio of resistance then some say that almost in biblical terms he might be said to have "subdued" (i.e., won power struggles) against three of the ten countries projected to have weighted power in the forthcoming European Union under its new constitution, assuming the new already signed European Union constitution is timely ratified. Solana is obviously aware of these potential conflicts. He has of late publicly downplayed the potential powers of the office saying that even under the new constitution and the new Foreign Minister with all its projected powers, that such can only be exercised if there is complete unanimity among EU participants. Given Solana's talents in securing consensus but also bringing pressure to bear where necessary, it will be interesting to watch how Solana and/or his successors of this office crafted by him play out the role of the new EU Foreign Minister. Many foresee a power struggle which they believe Solana will win to determine whether or not ''one voice'', or ''a trio'', shall speak for Europe -- Javier Solana and/or his successor in office OR the France-Germany-Great Britain leadership presently appearing threatened by the potential powers of his forthcoming office.


On 11 March 2020 Solana was admitted to the hospital after being infected by [[COVID-19]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Spain]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-spain-solana/former-nato-chief-javier-solana-has-coronavirus-source-idUSL8N2B67VA|title=Former NATO chief Javier Solana has coronavirus - source|date=13 March 2020|website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>
On 21 January 2005 Solana invited Ukraine's president-elect Viktor Yushchenko to discuss the possibility of a future EU membership [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20050121/wl_nm/ukraine_dc]. It is interesting to note that the report also stated the EU's Executive Commission stated just the past week it had no plans to consider Ukrainian enterence into the EU. This is an indicator of just how powerful Javier Solana has become, as it seems he has the authority to over ride the authority of the Executive Commission.


== Personality ==
== Awards and honours ==
=== Spanish honours ===
* [[File:ESP Alfonso X Order GC.svg|60px]] Knight Grand Cross of the [[Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise]] (1996)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1996/01/27/pdfs/A02675-02675.pdf|title=Javier Solana's Order of Alfonso X, the Wise appointment. Spanish Official Journal (96/01/27) (PDF)|website=Boe.es|access-date=1 July 2022}}</ref>
* [[File:ESP Charles III Order GC.svg|60px]] Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Charles III]] (1997)<ref name="ciboc">{{in lang|es}}[http://www.cidob.org/es/documentacion/biografias_lideres_politicos/europa/espana/javier_solana_madariaga Javier Solana Madariaga, Barcelona Centre for International Affairs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070905204601/http://www.cidob.org/es/documentacion/biografias_lideres_politicos/europa/espana/javier_solana_madariaga |date=5 September 2007 }}.</ref>
* [[File:ESP Isabella Catholic Order GC.svg|60px]] Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Isabella the Catholic]] (2000)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* [[File:Order of the Golden Fleece ribbon bar.svg|60px]] Knight of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]] (2010)<ref name="ciboc"/>


=== Other countries ===
As the anti-Franco activist in his youth and the anti-NATO activist in his 40s combined with his leadership of NATO in his 50s, Javier Solana has sometimes been called a "squarer of circles" (i.e. reconciler of opposites). Past illustrations of this (whether intentional or not) were his marriage to the daughter (Concepción Giménez) of a top Franco general and by his heading NATO in his fifties. He has also played an active role in the various Mideast peace processes at least between 1991 and the present time.
* [[File:CZE Rad Bileho Lva 2 tridy BAR.svg|60px]] Grand Officer of the [[Order of the White Lion]] ([[Czech Republic]], 1998)
* [[File:UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon.svg|60px]] Honorary Knight Commander of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] ([[United Kingdom]], 2000)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* [[Manfred Wörner#Manfred Wörner Medal|Manfred Wörner Medal]] of the [[Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)|Federal German Ministry of Defence]] ([[Germany]], 2002)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* [[File:Order for Exceptional Merits (Slovenia).svg|60px]] Recipient of the [[Order for Exceptional Merits (Slovenia)|Order for Exceptional Merits]] ([[Slovenia]], 2004)
* [[File:POL Order Zaslugi RP kl1 BAR.svg|60px]] Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland]] ([[Poland]], 2005)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://elpais.com/diario/2005/11/11/catalunya/1131674847_850215.html|title=Pujol glosa la defensa identitaria al recibir la cruz del mérito de Polonia|date=10 November 2005|access-date=1 July 2022|newspaper=El País}}</ref>
* [[File:LTU Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas - Commander's Cross BAR.png|60px]] Commander Cross of the [[Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas]] ([[Lithuania]], 2005)
* [[File:GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 6 GrVK Stern Band.svg|60px]] Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany|Order of Merit of the Federal Republic]] (Germany, 2007)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* [[File:PRT Order of Christ - Grand Cross BAR.svg|60px]] Grand Cross of the [[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Order of Christ]] ([[Portugal]], 2010)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.que.es/gente/fotos/secretario-general-otan-espanol-javier-f109169.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219014952/http://www.que.es/gente/fotos/secretario-general-otan-espanol-javier-f109169.html|url-status=dead|title=Javier Solana knight of the Christ Order, Que.es|archive-date=19 December 2013|access-date=1 July 2022}}</ref>
* [[File:GEO Golden Fleece Order BAR.svg|60px]] Knight of the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Georgia|Georgian Order of the Golden Fleece]] ([[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], 2010)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.que.es/ultimas-noticias/espana/201003301419-saakashvili-condecora-solana-apoyo-intereses.html|title=Saakashvili condecora a Solana por su apoyo a los intereses de Georgia|work=que.es|access-date=18 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219015825/http://www.que.es/ultimas-noticias/espana/201003301419-saakashvili-condecora-solana-apoyo-intereses.html|archive-date=19 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>


=== Awards ===
Javier Solana is married to Concepcion Giménez Solana, herself a teacher. They are the parents of two grown children: a son, Diego, and a daughter, Vega. Solana reportedly has never moved his immediate family - wife and children - to [[Brussels]], his main residence since taking his NATO post in the late fall of 1995 and his European Union posts thereafter. He has admitted that his family life has suffered as a result of the schedules from his NATO post and EU jobs forward.


* [[Vision for Europe Award]], Edmond Israel Foundation (2003)<ref name="ciboc"/>
== External links==
* Statesman of the Year Award, EastWest Institute (2003)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* [http://ue.eu.int/solana/cv.asp Curriculum Vitae of Javier Solana]
* [[Wateler Peace Prize]], [[Carnegie Foundation (Netherlands)|Carnegie Foundation]] (2006)<ref name="ciboc"/>
*[http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/infoBios/setimes/resource_centre/bios/solana_javier shorter biography]
* Peace Through Dialogue Medal, [[Munich Security Conference]] (2007)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* [[Charlemagne Prize]] (2007)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* Peace Award of the World Children's Parliament (2008)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* Extraordinary Prize of the [[Ministry of Defence (Spain)|Spanish Ministry of Defence]] (2009)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* Convivencia Award, [[Manuel Broseta]] Foundation (2009)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* [[Charles V European Award]], European Academy of Yuste Foundation (2010)<ref name="ciboc"/>
* Ewald-von-Kleist Award, Munich Security Conference (2010)<ref name="ciboc"/>/
* [[Knight of Freedom Award]], the [[The Casimir Pulaski Foundation|Casimir Pulaski Foundation]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pulaski.pl/member/javier-solana/ |title=Javier Solana |website=Pulaski.pl|access-date=2018-01-06}}</ref>
* [[Honorary degree]] ([[political science]]), [[London School of Economics]]<ref name="ciboc"/>
* [[Gold Medal of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe]] (2011)<ref name="ciboc"/>


===Arms===
[[Category:1942 births|Solana, Javier]]
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|symbolism = The arms of Solana family [[Quartering (heraldry)|quartered]] with the arms of the House of Madariaga.<ref>Ceballos-Escalera Gila, Alfonso de, Marqués de la Floresta; Mayoralgo y Lodo, José Miguel de, Conde de los Acevedos (1950-); Menéndez Pidal, Faustino (1996). ''La Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro y su armorial ecuestre''. Madrid: Patrimonio Nacional and Ed. Toisón {{ISBN|978-84-922198-0-3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.albakits.com/SOLANA.htm|title=S O L A N A|date=19 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219004954/http://www.albakits.com/SOLANA.htm |access-date=1 July 2022|archive-date=19 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.albakits.com/MADARIAGA.htm|title=M A D A R I A G A|date=19 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219004650/http://www.albakits.com/MADARIAGA.htm |access-date=1 July 2022|archive-date=19 December 2013 }}</ref>
|previous_versions =
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==See also==
[[de:Javier Solana]]
*[[Enlargement of the European Union]]
[[es:Javier Solana]]
*[[Foreign Affairs Council]]
[[nl:Javier Solana]]
*[[History of Serbia and Montenegro]]
*[[History of the European Constitution]]
*[[History of the European Union]]
*[[List of European Union-related topics]]
*[[Politics of Europe]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Javier Solana}}
*{{CIDOB|europa/espana/javier_solana_madariaga}} (updated {{As of|2010|alt=to 2010}})
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110605080439/http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/diplomacy-solana.1q2 Solana steps down as EU foreign policy chief]
*[http://euobserver.com/18/29069 EU's quiet diplomat steps aside after 10 years]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040408225131/http://ue.eu.int/solana/cv.asp Curriculum Vitae of Javier Solana]
*[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r104:S08DE5-237: Assessment of next NATO Secretary General] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106201923/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r104:S08DE5-237: |date=6 November 2015 }}
*[http://www.statewatch.org/news/jul00/05solana.htm Civil liberties and Solana]
*[http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/med_mideast/intro/index.htm Euro-Mediterranean Partnership for Peace]
*[http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/policy_en.htm European Neighbourhood Policy]
*[http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_138048.htm NATO Declassified - Javier Solana (biography)]
*{{IMDb name|1535528}}
*{{C-SPAN|41863}}
*[http://www.newropeans-magazine.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2154&Itemid=85 Interview about EDSP] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716203406/http://www.newropeans-magazine.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2154&Itemid=85 |date=16 July 2015 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050406211058/http://www.sispain.org/english/history/fisherie/position/disputes/foreign.html Interview as Spanish foreign minister in conflict with Canada]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050328011859/http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/sghr_int/84246.pdf Interview with Physics world magazine]
*[http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20141126085324/http://www.exploring-europe.eu/foreignpolicy Online Resource Guide to EU Foreign Policy]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050524235505/http://www.madariaga.coleurop.be/ Madariaga European Foundation]
*[http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/infoBios/setimes/resource_centre/bios/solana_javier Shorter biography of Javier Solana]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050421171124/http://afa.at/globalview/052000/solana.html Solana's development of a Common Foreign and Security Policy]
*[http://www.pmo.gov.il/NR/exeres/EE42775C-31E8-469B-A76A-57905CC3348E.htm Solana meets Sharon, July 2004]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6460925.stm The puzzle of Solana's power]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110709033342/http://www.politikwissenschaft.uni-wuerzburg.de/fileadmin/06060030/user_upload/FLYER_engl-dt.pdf Book about Javier Solana, 2011]

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{{s-ttl|title=[[High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy|High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy]]|years=1999–2009}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union]]|years=1999–2009}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[José Cutileiro]]}}
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{{NATOSecGens}}
{{High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union}}
{{Charlemagne Prize recipients}}
{{Members of the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solana, Javier}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:Commander's Crosses of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas]]
[[Category:Complutense University of Madrid alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of ESADE]]
[[Category:Foreign ministers of Spain]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Grand Officers of the Order of the White Lion]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the constituent Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 1st Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 2nd Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 3rd Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 4th Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 5th Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Politicians from Madrid]]
[[Category:Political office-holders of the European Union]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Georgia)]]
[[Category:Secretaries general of NATO]]
[[Category:20th-century Spanish physicists]]
[[Category:Spanish Socialist Workers' Party politicians]]
[[Category:University of Virginia alumni]]
[[Category:Western European Union people]]
[[Category:Culture ministers of Spain]]
[[Category:Spanish officials of the European Union]]
[[Category:Center on International Cooperation]]
[[Category:Human Rights Watch people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 3rd class]]
[[Category:20th-century Spanish politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Spanish politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Spanish diplomats]]
[[Category:21st-century Spanish diplomats]]
[[Category:Secretaries-general of the Council of the European Union]]

Latest revision as of 07:49, 3 October 2024

Javier Solana
Solana in 1999
High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy
In office
18 October 1999 – 1 December 2009
Preceded byJürgen Trumpf
Succeeded byCathy Ashton (Foreign Affairs and Security Policy)
Secretary General of the Council of the European Union
In office
18 October 1999 – 1 December 2009
Preceded byJürgen Trumpf
Succeeded byPierre de Boissieu
Secretary General of the Western European Union
In office
20 November 1999 – 1 December 2009
Preceded byJosé Cutileiro
Succeeded byArnaud Jacomet
9th Secretary General of NATO
In office
5 December 1995 – 6 October 1999
Preceded bySergio Balanzino (Acting)
Willy Claes
Succeeded byThe Lord Robertson of Port Ellen
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
16 June 1992 – 18 December 1995
Prime MinisterFelipe González
Preceded byFrancisco Fernández Ordóñez
Succeeded byCarlos Westendorp
Personal details
Born
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga

(1942-07-14) 14 July 1942 (age 82)
Madrid, Spain
Political partySpanish Socialist Workers' Party
SpouseMaría de la Concepción Giménez Díaz-Oyuelos
Children2
EducationComplutense University
University of Virginia
Signature

Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga KCMG CYC (Spanish: [fɾanˈθisko xaˈβjeɾ soˈlana ðe maðaˈɾjaɣa]; born 14 July 1942) is a Spanish physicist and PSOE politician. After serving in the Spanish government as Foreign Affairs Minister under Felipe González (1992–1995) and as the Secretary General of NATO (1995–1999), leading the alliance during Operation Allied Force, he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and Secretary-General of the Western European Union and held these posts from October 1999 until December 2009.

Background and career as a physicist

[edit]

Solana was born in Madrid, Spain. He comes from a prominent Spanish family, being a first cousin, twice removed, of diplomat, writer, historian, and pacifist Salvador de Madariaga[1] (Javier's grandfather, Rogelio de Madariaga and Salvador de Madariaga were cousins). His father was a chemistry professor, Luis Solana San Martín, who died when Javier was nineteen. His mother, Obdulia de Madariaga Pérez, died in 2005.[2][3][4][5][6] Javier is the third of five children.[2] His older brother Luis was once imprisoned for his political activities opposing the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, subsequently became a distinguished leader in the Spanish telecommunications industry[7] and was one of the first socialist members of the Trilateral Commission.[8]

Solana studied at the Nuestra Señora del Pilar School, an exclusive Catholic Marianist secondary school, before going to Complutense University (UCM). There as a student in 1963 he suffered sanctions imposed by the authorities for having organised an opposition forum at the so-called Week of University Renovation. In 1964 he clandestinely joined the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which had been illegal under Franco since the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939. In the same year he graduated and then spent a year furthering his studies at Spain's Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and in the United Kingdom.

In 1965 he went to the United States, where he spent six years studying at various universities on a Fulbright Scholarship.[9] He visited the University of Chicago and the University of California, San Diego, and then enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. There, he taught physics classes as a teaching assistant and carried on independent research; he also joined in the protests against the Vietnam War and was president of the Association of Foreign Students. He received his doctorate in physics from Virginia in 1971 with a thesis on Theory of the Elementary Excitation Spectrum of Superfluid Helium: the Roton Lifetime, extending his planned stay in the US by a year in order to continue his research. Returning to Spain he became a lecturer in solid-state physics at the Autonomous University of Madrid, UAM, and then in 1975 he became a professor at Complutense University. During these years he published more than 30 articles. For a time he worked as assistant to Nicolás Cabrera, whom he had met when Cabrera was professor at the University of Virginia. The last PhD dissertations that he directed were in the early 1990s.

Spanish politics

[edit]

On returning to Spain in 1971 Solana joined the Democratic Co-ordination of Madrid as the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) representative.

In 1976, during PSOE's first national congress inside Spain since the civil war, he was elected Secretary of the party's Federal Executive Commission, and also Secretary for Information and Press, remaining in the post for five years. He was a close personal friend of the party's leader Felipe González, and is considered one of the PSOE leaders responsible for the transformation of the party in the post-Franco era. In 1976 he represented the PSOE at a Socialist International congress held in Suresnes, France, and again when it was held in Spain in 1977. On 20 May 1977 he accompanied González in visiting King Juan Carlos at the Zarzuela Palace.

He became a representative of a teachers' union in the Complutense University, and in this role won a parliamentary seat for PSOE on 15 June 1977 and represented Madrid region until December 1995. On 23 February 1981 he was in the parliament when it was taken over for 18 hours in an attempted coup by gunmen led by Antonio Tejero.

On 28 October 1982 PSOE won a historic victory with 202 out of 350 seats in the lower house. On 3 December, along with the other members of González's first cabinet, Solana was sworn in as Minister for Culture, where he remained until moving to the Ministry of Education in 1988. In July 1983 he adhered to the position of Alfonso Guerra calling for an exit of Spain from NATO.[10][11] On 5 July 1985 he was made the Spokesman for the Government for three years.

He was made Minister for Foreign Affairs on 22 July 1992, the day before the opening of the II Ibero-American conference of heads of state in Madrid, replacing the terminally ill Francisco Fernández Ordóñez. On 27–28 November 1995, while Spain held the Presidency of the Council of the EU, Solana convened and chaired the Barcelona Conference. A treaty was achieved between the twenty-seven nations in attendance with Solana gaining credit for what he called "a process to foster cultural and economic unity in the Mediterranean region".

It was during these thirteen years as a cabinet minister that Solana's reputation as a discreet and diplomatic politician grew. By going to the foreign Ministry in the later years of González administration he avoided the political scandals of corruption, and of the dirty war allegedly being fought against ETA, that characterised its last years. Towards the end of 1995, Solana – the only surviving member of González's original cabinet – was talked about in the press as a possible candidate to replace him and lead the PSOE in the following March elections. Instead, he made the leap to international politics.

During and after his spell as NATO secretary general (see below) Solana continued to play an active role in PSOE and Spanish politics. In June 1997, at the 34th PSOE Congress, Solana left their Executive Commission and joined their Federal Committee, being re-elected in second place three years later. By supporting Colin Powell's 5 February 2003 speech to the UN Security council which claimed that Iraq had WMD's[citation needed] Solana contradicted the position of his party leader José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who opposed the PP government of José María Aznar's support for the invasion of Iraq. Solana is seen, along with González, as representing the older wing of the party. On 15 February 2005 he criticised the Plan Ibarretxe for its position on Basque Country independence, saying that its call for separate Basque representation within the EU had no place within the proposed EU constitution.

Secretary General of NATO

[edit]

On 5 December 1995, Solana became the new Secretary-General of NATO, replacing Willy Claes who had been forced to resign in a corruption scandal. His appointment created controversy as, in the past, he had been an opponent of NATO. He had written a pamphlet called 50 Reasons to say no to NATO, and had been on a US subversives list.[citation needed] On 30 May 1982 Spain joined NATO. When PSOE came to power later that year, Solana and the party changed their previous anti-NATO positions into an atlanticist, pro-NATO stance. On 12 March 1986 Spain held a referendum on whether to remain in NATO, with the government and Solana successfully campaigning in favour. When criticised about his anti-NATO past, Solana argued that he was happy to be its representative as it had become disassociated from its Cold War origins.

Solana with Bill Clinton and Madeleine Albright, 1999

Solana immediately had to deal with the Balkans NATO mission Operation Joint Endeavour that consisted of a multinational peacekeeping Implementation Force (IFOR) of 60,000 soldiers which took over from a United Nations mission on 20 December. This came about through the Dayton Agreement, after NATO had bombed selected targets in Bosnia and Herzegovina (positions held by VRS) the previous August and September. He did this by deploying the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). In December 1996 the ARRC was again activated, with IFOR being replaced by a 32,000-strong Stabilisation Force (SFOR) operating under codenames Joint Guard and later Joint Forge.

During Solana's term, NATO reorganised its political and military structure and changed its basic strategies. He gained the reputation of being a very successful, diplomatic Secretary General who was capable of negotiating between the differing NATO members and between NATO and non-NATO States. In December 1995 France partially returned to the military structure of NATO, while in November 1996 Spain joined it. On 27 May 1997, after five months of negotiations with Russian foreign minister Yevgeny Primakov, an agreement was reached resulting in the Paris NATO–Russia Founding Act.[12] On the same day, Solana presided over the establishment of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council to improve relations between European NATO and non-NATO countries.

Keeping the peace in the former Yugoslavia continued to be both difficult and controversial. IFOR and SFOR had received a lot of criticism for their inability to capture the Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić. In late 1998 the conflict in Kosovo, between the Yugoslav authorities and the Kosovar Albanian guerilla Kosovo Liberation Army deteriorated, culminating in the Račak massacre on 15 January 1999, in which 45 Albanians were killed. NATO decided that the conflict could only be settled by introducing a proper military peacekeeping force under their auspices, to forcibly restrain the two sides.[citation needed] On 30 January 1999, NATO announced that it was prepared to launch air strikes against Yugoslav targets. On 6 February, Solana met both sides for negotiations at the Château de Rambouillet, but they were unsuccessful.

Solana meets with Secretary of Defense William Cohen at the Pentagon on 15 March 1999

On 24 March, NATO forces launched air attacks on military and civilian targets in Yugoslavia. Solana justified the attacks on humanitarian grounds, and on the responsibility of NATO to keep peace in Europe and to prevent recurrences of ethnic cleansing and genocide similar to those which occurred during the Bosnian War (1992–1995).

Solana and NATO were criticised for the civilian casualties caused by the bombings.[13][14] On 23–24 April, the North Atlantic Council met in Washington D.C. where the Heads of State of the member nations agreed with the New Strategic Concept, which changed the basic defensive nature of the organisation and allowed for NATO intervention in a greater range of situations than before.

On 10 June, Serbian forces withdrew from Kosovo, and NATO stopped its attacks, which ended the Kosovo War. The same day UN Security Council Resolution 1244 authorised NATO to activate the ARRC, with the Kosovo Force launching Operation Joint Guardian and occupying the province on 12 June. Solana left NATO on 6 October 1999, two months ahead of schedule, and was replaced by George Robertson.

EU foreign policy chief

[edit]
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Solana at the EU-Russia summit in Rome, 2003
Solana with Hassan Rouhani, 2004

After leaving NATO, Solana took up a role in the European Union. Earlier in the year, on 4 June 1999, he was appointed by the Cologne European Council as Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union. An administrative position but it was decided that the Secretary-General would also be appointed High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In this role he represented the EU abroad where there was an agreed common policy. He took up the post on 18 October 1999, shortly after standing down from NATO. The post has a budget of €40 million, most of which goes to Balkan operations. From 25 November 1999 he was also appointed Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU), overseeing the transfer of responsibilities from that organisation to the CFSP. In 2004 his 5-year mandate was renewed. He has also become president of the European Defence Agency.

The Clinton administration claimed in May 2000 that Solana was the fulfilment of Henry Kissinger's famous desire to have a phone number to talk to Europe.[citation needed] In December 2003 Solana released the European Security Strategy, which sets out the main priorities and identifies the main threats to the security of the EU, including terrorism. On 25 March 2004 Solana appointed Gijs de Vries as the anti-terrorist co-ordinator for the CFSP, and outlined his duties as being to streamline, organise and co-ordinate the EU's fight against terrorism.

On 29 June 2004 he was designated to become the EU's first "Union Minister for Foreign Affairs", a position created by the European Constitutional Treaty combining the head of the CFSP with that of the European Commissioner for External Relations. It would give a single voice to foreign policy and combine the powers and influence of the two posts with a larger budget, more staff and a coherent diplomatic corps. The position (colloquially known as "Mr. Europe") has been partly maintained in the Reform Treaty as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, but Solana is not going to take the post as he announced that he would step down at the end of his term.[15]

In late 2004, Solana held secret negotiations with Hamas leaders, saying that he met them at a time when there seemed to be an opportunity for progress, and were to "pass a clear message of what the international community wants", and said that the meetings occurred "months" before.[16]

Foreign affairs

[edit]
Solana with Colin Powell in April 2003

He negotiated numerous Treaties of Association between the European Union and various Middle Eastern and Latin American countries, including Bolivia and Colombia. Solana played a pivotal role in unifying the remainder of the former Yugoslavian federation. He proposed that Montenegro form a union with Serbia instead of having full independence, stating that this was done to avoid a domino effect from Kosovo and Vojvodina independence demands. Local media sarcastically named the new country "Solania".[citation needed]

On 21 January 2002 Solana said that the detainees at Guantanamo Bay should be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.[17] The EU has stated that it hopes to avoid another war like the Iraqi invasion through this and future negotiations, and Solana has said the most difficult moments of his job were when the United Kingdom and France, the two permanent EU Security Council members, were in disagreement.

The so-called Vilnius letter, a declaration of support by eastern European countries for the United States' aim of régime change in Iraq, and the letter of the eight, a similar letter from the UK, Italy, and six second-tier countries, are generally seen [by whom?] as a low-water mark of the CFSP.

Round table talks with Ukrainian and foreign representatives during the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, on 1 December 2004

Solana has played an important role working toward a resolution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and continues to be a primary architect of the "Road Map for Peace," along with the UN, Russia, and the United States in the Quartet on the Middle East. On 22 July 2004 he met Ariel Sharon in Israel. Sharon had originally refused to meet Solana, but eventually accepted that, whether he liked it or not, the EU was involved in the Road Map. He criticised Israel for obstructing the Palestinian presidential election of 9 January 2005, but then met Sharon again on 13 January.

In November 2004 Solana assisted the United Kingdom, France and Germany in negotiating a nuclear material enrichment freeze with Iran. In the same month he was involved in mediating between the two presidential candidates in the post-election developments in Ukraine, and on 21 January 2005 he invited Ukraine's new President Viktor Yushchenko to discuss future EU membership.[18]

President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and Solana at the EU-India summit in Helsinki, 2006

In 2010, after he had left office, Solana signed a petition along with 25 other EU leaders directed at his successor, Catherine Ashton, calling for EU sanctions on Israel in response to continued settlement construction in the West Bank.[19]

Other activities

[edit]

Personal life

[edit]

Solana is married to Concepción Giménez, and they have two adult children, Diego and Vega. He lives in Brussels, where his apartment has a reputation of being a focal point for Spanish politicians in or visiting this capital. Apart from his native Spanish, he also speaks fluent French, as well as English.

General Wesley Clark once asked Solana the secret of his diplomatic success. He answered: "Make no enemies, and never ask a question to which you do not know or like the answer."[18] He has been described as a "squarer of circles."[citation needed]

U.S. ambassador to NATO Alexander Vershbow said of him: "He is an extraordinary consensus-builder who works behind the scenes with leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to ensure that NATO is united when it counts."[citation needed] He is a frequent speaker at the prestigious U.S. based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is likewise active in the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) as well as the New York City based East West Institute. In March 2010, Solana became honorary president of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, and in 2011 became a Member of the Global Leadership Foundation, an organization which works to promote good governance around the world. He also became a member of Human Rights Watch board of directors the same year.[27]

He is an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, a member of the Spanish section of the Club of Rome. He has received the Grand Cross of Isabel the Catholic in Spain and the Manfred Wörner Medal from the German defence ministry. He has been President of the Madariaga - College of Europe Foundation since 1998. He received the Vision for Europe Award in 2003. Also in 2003, he received the 'Statesman of the Year Award' from the EastWest Institute, a Transatlantic think tank that organizes an annual security conference in Brussels. In 2006 Solana received the Carnegie-Wateler peace prize. He has also been awarded the Charlemagne Prize for 2007 for his distinguished services on behalf of European unification.[28] In December 2009, Javier Solana joined ESADE Business School as president of its new Centre for Global Economy and Geopolitics. In January 2010, King Juan Carlos I appointed Javier Solana the 1,194th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece for his career in diplomacy.[29]

On 11 March 2020 Solana was admitted to the hospital after being infected by COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.[30]

Awards and honours

[edit]

Spanish honours

[edit]

Other countries

[edit]

Awards

[edit]

Arms

[edit]
Coat of arms of Javier Solana
Notes
Javier Solana was created knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 2010.
Crest
Issuant from a torse Azure, Or, Vert and Gules, a plume of four ostrich feathers Or, Azure, Vert and Gules;
Torse
Mantling Or, Azure, Vert and Gules.
Escutcheon
Quarterly, first and fourth Azure a sun Or between four eight-rayed stars Argent, second and third Vert four bars Or between fifteen escallops Or 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 terraced wavy Argent and Azure, on a bordure gules four crescents Argent between as many four-rayed stars Or.
Orders
Order of the Golden Fleece collar.
Symbolism
The arms of Solana family quartered with the arms of the House of Madariaga.[37][38][39]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Biography of Luis Solana (brother of Javier Solana) at his blog Archived 12 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish):

    Heredó de su abuelo materno [Rogelio de Madariaga y Castro] la revista "España Económica", publicación que dio cabida a jóvenes economistas críticos con el régimen de Franco. Sobrino nieto de D. Salvador de Madariaga.
    He inherited from his maternal grandfather [Rogelio de Madariaga y Castro] the magazine "España Económica", which accommodated young economists critical of the Franco regime. (He's) the grand nephew of D. Salvador de Madariaga

  2. ^ a b "ABC (Madrid) - 17/04/2005, p. 86 - ABC.es Hemeroteca". hemeroteca.abc.es. 3 September 2019.
  3. ^ Movimiento nobiliario 1934 Archived 25 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, page 167. News about the marriage between Luis Solana San Martín and Obdulia Madariaga.
  4. ^ ¡Feliz Navidad, Maribel!, post in Luis Solana's blog (Luis Solana is Javier's brother) and the post accounts mentions the five brothers.
  5. ^ Death notice of Enrique de Madariaga y Pérez-Gros. It mentions Obdulia as sister and Luis Solana San Martín as brother-in-law.
  6. ^ Death notice of Juana San Martín Yoldi, widow of Ezequiel Solana. It mentions all her sibling, including Luis.
  7. ^ "Biografia". Luis Solana. Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
  8. ^ "Trilateral Commission Annual Meeting Publications". Archived from the original on 6 August 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  9. ^ "CIDOB". Archived from the original on 5 September 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
  10. ^ Roldán, Juan (20 July 1983). "Los ministros Solana, Maravall, Lluch y Campo coinciden con Guerra en que España no debe permanecer en la OTAN". El País.
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  22. ^ Board of Trustees Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies.
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[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Culture
1982–1988
Succeeded by
Preceded by Spokesman for the Government
1985–1988
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Education
1988–1992
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Foreign Affairs
1992–1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy
1999–2009
Succeeded byas High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union
1999–2009
Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Secretary General of NATO
1995–1999
Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary General of the Western European Union
1999–2009
Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Speaker of the College of Europe Opening Ceremony
2005
Succeeded by