VZCZCXRO7829
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHMD #0552/01 1401613
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 191613Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4785
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA 3425

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 MADRID 000552 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE, ALSO FOR INR/B 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR SP
SUBJECT: SPANISH CABINET MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES - ZAPATERO'S 
NEW TEAM 
 
REF: MADRID 449 
 
MADRID 00000552  001.2 OF 011 
 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY.  President Zapatero's center-left Spanish 
Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) was the victor in the March 9 
general election.  This cable gives brief biographies for the 
cabinet members in Zapatero's second administration. 
Overall, the cabinet reflects Zapatero's campaign promises to 
focus on innovation, equality and the environment.  This is 
the first Spanish cabinet with more women than men.  Several 
key players from the first Zapatero administration will keep 
their jobs, including Vice Presidents de la Vega and Solbes, 
Foreign Minister Moratinos, and Interior Minister Rubalcaba. 
An important change is the shift of Carme Chacon from 
Minister of Housing to Minister of Defense.  Two new 
Ministries have been added: a Ministry of Equality and a 
Ministry of Science and Innovation.  Other Ministries were 
restructured.  For example, The Ministries of Environment and 
Agriculture merged.  The Ministry of Education, Social 
Affairs and Sports restructured to include social affairs, 
but gave up its science portfolio.  The Labor Ministry 
assumed responsibility for immigration affairs. Biographies 
will be posted to the Embassy Madrid Intellipedia page for 
future reference and periodic updates.   END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) Zapatero's new cabinet is: 
First Vice President for the Presidency Maria Teresa 
Fernandez de la Vega; 
Second Vice President for Economy and Finance Pedro Solbes; 
Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Angel Moratinos; 
Minister of Justice Mariano Fernandez Bermejo; 
Minister of Defense Carme Chacon; 
Minister of Interior Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba; 
Minster of Public Administration Elena Salgado; 
Minister of Public Works (Fomento) Magdalena Alvarez; 
Minister of  Environment and Marine and Rural Environs 
(Agriculture) Elena Espinosa; 
Minister of Equality Bibiana Aido; 
Minister of Education, Social Affairs and Sport Mercedes 
Cabrera; 
Minister of Labor and Immigration Celestino Corbacho; 
Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce Miguel Sebastian; 
Minister of Science and Innovation Cristina Garmendia; 
Minister of Housing Beatriz Corredor; and 
Minister of Health Bernat Soria; 
Minister of Culture Cesar Antonio Molina. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega 
First Vice President, Minister of the Presidency, 
and Spokesperson of the Government 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶3. (U) Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega continues as First 
Vice President for a second term.  In 2004, she became the 
first woman to occupy a Vice Presidency in Spain.  As Vice 
President and Minister of the Presidency, de la Vega 
coordinates the "political" ministries with a primary focus 
on Justice, Defense, Equality, Education and Foreign Affairs. 
 
¶4. (U) During the 2000-2004 legislature, de la Vega served as 
PSOE Secretary General in Congress and led the opposition 
party's attacks against the PP's Aznar administration.  In 
this position, she also coordinated the PSOE members in 
Congress to achieve a unified legislative program.  She has 
been elected as Congresswoman three times: in 1996 for Jaen, 
in 2000 for Segovia, and in 2004 for Madrid. 
 
¶5. (U) From 1994-96 de la Vega served as Secretary of State 
for Justice with Justice Minister Alberto Belloch, a position 
she held until 1996.   During that time she managed the 
reform of the Penal Code.  De la Vega promoted the active 
participation of State prosecutors in criminal investigation, 
while maintaining the ultimate control of magistrates in the 
judicial process. 
 
¶6. (U) De la Vega began her political career with the Catalan 
Socialist Party, but in 1979 moved her affiliation to a 
political movement called "Justicia Democratica", a group of 
judges, prosecutors, and lawyers that played an important 
role in Spain's transition to democracy after Franco's 
regime. When the Socialist Party (PSOE) won its first 
national elections in 1982, de la Vega served as Chief of 
Cabinet to Socialist Minister of Justice Fernando Ledesma. 
In 1985 she was appointed Director General of Services in the 
Justice Ministry and under her leadership the number of 
judges doubled.  From 1988 to 1990 she worked in the 
Secretariat of Labor Magistrates and in 1990 she was 
appointed spokesperson of the General Council of Judicial 
 
MADRID 00000552  002.2 OF 011 
 
 
Authority. 
 
¶7. (U) She was born in Valencia in 1949.  She studied Law and 
received her PhD from the University of Barcelona.  She 
taught Labor Law at the University of Barcelona.  She is a 
specialist in Human Rights and International Juridical 
Cooperation with additional training from the University of 
Strasbourg. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Pedro Solbes 
Second Vice President and Minister of Economy and Finance 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶8. (U) As Vice President for Economic Affairs, Solbes is 
supposed to exercise control over all the economic decisions 
of the GOS, except foreign and domestic trade, tourism, and 
energy, which fall to the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, and 
Commerce. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Solbes had reportedly seriously considered leaving 
the government at the end of Zapatero's previous term.  He is 
65, and his wife wanted him to retire.  Zapatero convinced 
him to stay, and his presence on the ticket was considered to 
be an important appeal to the business community, some of 
whose members have portrayed Solbes as the only bulwark 
preventing Socialist ministers from overspending.  Zapatero 
is reported to have promised Solbes increased authority. 
 
¶10. (SBU) In Zapatero's first term, Solbes often was at odds 
with the economic office of the presidency, which tended to 
favor more interventionist policies.  Sebastian has now been 
named Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Commerce, and 
individuals linked to Sebastian have been named to other 
ministries. After Sebastian's appointment was announced, 
Solbes told the press, "I am the Economic Vice President.  I 
am the one who makes decisions on economic policy.  I am the 
one who signs the economic draft laws.  This is a coalition 
government between me and the rest."  Solbes had clashed with 
Sebastian in 2005-06 over the German company E.ON's bid to 
acquire Spain's Endesa; Solbes had not objected to the bid, 
while Sebastian influenced GOS attempts to block the bid and 
later helped broker the eventually successful purchase by 
Italy's Acciona and Spain's Acciona.  After Zapatero was 
re-elected, Solbes had reportedly asked Zapatero to give him 
the energy portfolio as well, but the portfolio remained in 
Sebastian's ministry. 
 
¶11. (U)  Solbes has traditionally emphasized the importance 
of fiscal responsibility and maintaining Spain's budget 
surplus.  With the economy expected to grow much more slowly 
in 2008, unemployment rising, and inflation relatively high, 
he will face pressure to spend more, and he has emphasized 
for months that the budget surpluses of Zapatero's first four 
years have given the GOS more margin to maneuver in the 
difficult times expected ahead.  He already has announced 10 
billion euros in tax cuts and spending increases for 2008, 
with about 8 billion expected for 2009.  He also will be 
expected to address the housing slowdown, which has increased 
unemployment and caused serious difficulties for construction 
and real estate firms, along with their creditors. 
 
¶12. (U) A civil servant since 1968, Solbes, in 1982 as 
Technical Secretary General, was one of the seven people who 
negotiated Spanish accession to the European Community.  He 
was Secretary General of Economy and Finance from 1982 to 
1985 and Secretary of State for European Community Relations 
starting in 1985.  He was named Minister of Agriculture, Food 
and Fisheries in 1991 and Minister of Economy and Finance in 
¶1993.  In September 1999, Solbes became the European 
Commissioner responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs. 
He earned praise for his sense of duty and his courage for 
denouncing the institutional rupture that occurred when the 
Council of Ministers refused to sanction France and Germany 
for exceeding European Stability & Growth Pact budget deficit 
limits. 
 
¶13. (U) Pedro Solbes was born in Pinoso (Alicante province) 
in 1942.  He graduated in European economy from the 
Universite Libre de Bruxelles and earned a degree in law and 
a doctoral degree in Political Science from the Complutense 
University of Madrid.  He is married to Pilar Castro 
Rodriguez and has three children (Teresa, Miguel and Lucia). 
 He speaks French and English. 
 
--------------------------- 
Miguel Angel Moratinos 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
 
MADRID 00000552  003.2 OF 011 
 
 
--------------------------- 
 
¶14. (U) Moratinos begins his second term in the Cabinet as 
the Spanish democracy's second-longest serving Foreign 
Minister.   In the presidential investiture debate, Zapatero 
said that one of his priorities will be the Sub-Saharan 
Africa and in next few months, Moratinos is tasked with 
arranging high-level summits with Morocco and Algeria. 
Moratinos traveled to several Latin America countries in 
April to forge ties in advance of the May EU-Latin America 
Summit.  Some of the pending issues Moratinos faces from the 
last legislature are Spanish foreign service reform, 
development assistance credits reform, and construction of a 
new building to house his Ministry, which is currently in 
leased spaces. 
 
¶15.  (SBU)  Moratinos was one of the key players behind the 
Madrid 1991 Peace Conference and considers himself an expert 
in Middle East policy.  From 1991 to 1993, he was Director 
General of the Institute for Cooperation with the Arab World. 
 From 1993 to 1996 he was Director General of Foreign Policy 
for North Africa and the Middle East.  During the 1995 
Spanish EU Presidency, Moratinos managed all Middle East 
policy issues and was a frequent interlocutor with 
Washington.  In June 1996, he was appointed Ambassador to 
Israel, a position he held for only six months.  In December 
1996, he was appointed Special Representative of the European 
Union (EUSR) for the Middle East Peace Process.  Moratinos 
managed the EU's relationship with Israel and Palestine, as 
well as other states in the region like Syria, Lebanon, 
Jordan, and Egypt.  However, he created a perception that he 
maintained closer ties with Yassar Arafat than with Prime 
Minister Sharon.  While Moratinos participated in the MEPP 
Quartet meetings, Israelis reportedly considered Moratinos 
excessively favorable to the Palestinian cause.  Moratinos 
left the EUSR position in July 2003.  His name was mentioned 
as a possible candidate for the UN High Commission for Human 
Rights following the death of Sergio Vieria de Mello. 
However, in October 2003 Moratinos returned to the Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs. 
 
¶16. (U) Moratinos began his diplomatic career as Spain's 
Chief Director for the Eastern European Coordination Desk in 
1974-1979.  He was First Secretary at the Spanish Embassy in 
Yugoslavia, where he later served as Charge d'Affaires from 
1980-1984.  He was Political Advisor in Rabat (1984-1987) and 
Deputy Director General of North African Affairs in the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1987-1991). 
 
¶17. (U) Moratinos joined the Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 
in 2000 and in 2004 and 2008 won election as a Congressional 
delegate representing his hometown of Cordoba. 
 
¶18. (U) Miguel Angel Moratinos was born in 1951. Moratinos 
holds a degree in law and political science and a diploma in 
international studies from the Spanish Diplomatic School.  He 
is fluent in English and French. He understands Russian and 
Serbo-Croatian. 
 
-------------------------- 
Mariano Fernandez Bermejo 
Minister of Justice 
-------------------------- 
 
¶19. (U) Mariano Fernandez Bermejo was appointed Minister of 
Justice in February 9, 2007, and is retained as a member of 
the new cabinet.   The strong recommendation of Vice 
President Fernandez de la Vega ensured Fernandez Bermejo's 
appointment and he is expected to strengthen rapport and 
cooperation between the Ministry, the Prosecutor's Office and 
the Interior Ministry.  He is reported to have a good working 
relationship with Interior Minister Rubalcaba and Secretary 
of State for Security Antonio Camacho. 
 
¶20. (SBU) As a founding member of the Progressive Union of 
Public Prosecutors, Fernandez Bermejo is considered to be the 
guardian of the PSOE's judicial policy.  Fernandez Bermejo 
will manage and attempt to inject change into a judicial 
system in which some "conservative" judges have not been 
supportive of GOS-sponsored initiatives, including homosexual 
marriage and autonomous community statutes. 
 
¶21. (U) First-ranked in his professional certification exams, 
he began his career as a prosecutor in 1974 in Santa Cruz de 
Tenerife, then worked in territorial courts in Caceres and 
Segovia.  From 1986 to 1989 he was Advisor to Minister of 
Justice Fernando Ledesma.   In 1989, he was appointed 
Prosecutor of the Supreme Court.   From 1992-2003, Fernandez 
 
MADRID 00000552  004.2 OF 011 
 
 
Bermejo served as Chief Prosecutor of the Madrid High Court 
of Justice.  In 2004, he became Prosecutor of the Supreme 
Court. 
 
¶22. (SBU) Fernandez Bermejo is known for taking tough stands 
and speaking out on issues.  He is the only prosecutor who 
has taken a Minister to Court.  In another  example, when he 
led opposition to the Rapid Justice Law, the PP-led 
government retaliated by passing a law limiting prosecutors 
to five-year terms instead of lifetime appointments 
(effectively moving Fernandez Bermejo along in the system). 
Expressing his unhappiness with the PP maneuver at the time, 
Fernandez Bermejo said, referring to the Spanish Civil War 
and Franco's regime,  "we fought against the parents, and now 
we have to fight against their children." 
 
¶23. (SBU) He is considered to be a strong personality, not 
given to conciliation, and with a tendency to harsh 
assessments.  "I am a leftist, and I behave like one," he 
admits.   Perhaps due to these traits, Fernandez Bermejo has 
not received the support of the Concejo Fiscal, the advisory 
body that reviews judicial appointments, in either of his 
positions at the High Court or Supreme Court.  According to 
the media, many Ministry of Justice civil servants, the 
judicial secretaries, and the judges believe that Fernandez 
Bermejo, while focused on policy matters, has not fulfilled 
his promises on wages or work conditions. 
 
¶24. (U) Born in 1948 in Avila, Fernandez Bermejo received a 
Doctorate in Law from the Complutense University in 1969, 
followed by an advanced degree in Community Law in 1998.  A 
Public Prosecutor since 1974, he is an expert on Penal Law. 
Fernandez Bermejo does not speak English. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Carme Chacon (new in this Ministry) 
Minister of Defense 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶25. (U) Carme Chacon is the first woman Minister of Defense 
in Spanish history.  She served as Housing Minister from 2007 
to 2008 and also was First Vice President of Congress from 
2004-2007.   Her cabinet appointment was the surprise in 
Zapatero's second administration amidst widely varying 
speculation regarding who might be awarded the plum job. 
Zapatero made it clear he intended to put in place a broadly 
representative cabinet and Chacon brings ties to the Catalan 
constituency as well her deep-rooted PSOE political 
credentials.  Jose Montilla, Secretary General of the Catalan 
Socialist Party (PSC) has been one of Chacon's strongest 
supporters.  Chacon was one of the PSC members of Zapatero's 
"new team" after he won the PSOE party congress in 2000. 
 
¶26. (SBU) Chacon lacks experience in military affairs (the 
same could be said of most of her predecessors), but she is 
reportedly viewed by Zapatero as a strong manager.  Chacon 
was quick to visit Spanish troops deployed in Afghanistan and 
Lebanon and she is expected to visit Kosovo in the near 
future.   Chacon served as an OSCE international observer in 
Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1996 and Albania in 1997.  Her other 
credentials include representing the Socialist delegation in 
Spain's bipartisan Anti-terrorism Pact.  She reportedly has a 
strong rapport with Interior Minister Rubalcaba. 
 
¶27.  (SBU)  There was some buzz in conservative circles about 
Zapatero choosing a MOD who was a "pacifist."  Asked about 
the label in a recent newspaper interview, Chacon said, in 
essence, that if being a pacifist meant valuing peace, then 
she was a pacifist.  She went on to express her admiration 
for the Spanish troops she had just visited in Afghanistan. 
 
¶28.  (SBU)  Chacon's priorities will reportedly be the 
Spanish military missions abroad, modernization, and 
personnel restructuring.  The personnel restructuring will be 
a particular challenge as some senior officials disagree with 
plans to reduce the number of generals and there is 
controversy over proposals to adjust Spanish troop levels in 
Ceuta and Melilla. 
 
¶29.  (U)  Carme Chacon was born in Espulgues de Llobregat, 
Barcelona, in 1971.  She has a Law Degree from the University 
of Barcelona (1994) and a PhD Cum Laude for a thesis on 
federalism and human rights.  Her post-graduate studies 
include: Victoria Manchester University (UK), Instituto de 
Federalismo de Friburgo (Switzerland), Osgoode Hall Law 
School of Toronto, University of Kingston, and the Universite 
Laval of Montreal (Canada).  She has been professor of 
Constitutional Law at the University of Girona, Spain. She is 
 
MADRID 00000552  005.2 OF 011 
 
 
an expert in federalism and Quebec's status within Canada. 
She is married to Miguel Barroso, the Director of Casa 
America and himself a Zapatero insider.  They are expecting 
their first child in June.  Chacon speaks English. 
 
----------------------- 
Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba 
Minister of Interior 
----------------------- 
 
¶30.  (SBU)  Interior Minister since 2006, Alfredo Perez 
Rubalcaba is Zapatero's main advisor on terrorism issues.  He 
is also one of the six members of Zapatero's core team (the 
others are de la Vega, Solbes, Deputy Chief of Cabinet 
Jose-Enrique Serrano, Cabinet Aide Vidal Zapatero (a cousin), 
and PSOE campaign manager, Jose "Pepe" Blanco) that meets 
once a week to formulate policy.  Rubalcaba is regarded as a 
skilled negotiator and parliamentarian.  Beside the fight 
against ETA and Islamic terrorism, his other challenges will 
include perceptions that common crime is on the rise, 
continuing efforts to reduce traffic deaths and long-standing 
wage and work status disputes in the police forces. 
 
¶31. (SBU) One of Rubalcaba's toughest jobs will continue to 
be overcoming the historic rivalry between Spain's principal 
police forces, the Civil Guard and National Police, both of 
which fall under his direction.  Rubalcaba reportedly tried 
but failed to bring the Spanish intelligence service DNI 
under his control (it is currently in the MOD). 
 
¶32.  (SBU)  Rubalcaba has played influential roles in PSOE 
internal operations and he directed electoral strategy for 
the PSOE's 2004 campaign.  After the March 2004 elections, 
Rubalcaba was appointed PSOE's overall spokesman in Congress 
and maintained good personal rapport with his PP-counterpart 
Eduardo Zaplana despite many harsh political confrontations, 
a testament to his equanimity.  Within the PSOE party 
structure, Rubalcaba is not close to Zapatero insider Pepe 
Blanco, and their relations can be tense.  Some say Rubalcaba 
is the "Lord of the Government," and Blanco is the "Lord of 
the Party." 
 
¶33.  (SBU)  During the Aznar administration,  Rubalcaba 
served as PSOE's Media Relations Secretary and was lead 
negotiator on the bipartisan anti-terrorist pact and the 
political parties law.  He served as Education Minister from 
1992 to 1993 after several years in key advisory roles.  In 
1993 he was promoted to Minister of the Presidency and of 
Relations with the Parliament, in addition to being 
Government Spokesman (a period he describes as "the three 
worst years of my life." 
 
¶34.  (U)  A member of Congress since 1993, Rubalcaba is 
reputed to have a good sense of humor.  The media also notes 
Rubalcaba's strong work ethic, willingness to undertake 
additional assignments, and negotiation skills.  According to 
the press, his friends praise his ability to resolve 
contentious issues and calm excited colleagues.  His enemies 
describe Rubalcaba as manipulative and quick to exploit the 
weaknesses of others. 
 
¶35.  (U)  Rubalcaba was born in Solares (Santander) in 1951. 
He joined the Madrid Socialist Federation in 1974 and became 
interested in politics near the end of the Franco regime. 
With his Doctorate in Chemistry from the Complutense 
University of Madrid, he taught Organic Chemistry there, as 
well as at the University of Contanza (Germany), and the 
University of Montpellier (France). 
 
-------------------------------- 
Elena Salgado 
Ministry of Public Administration 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶36.  (U)  Appointed Minister of Public Administration on July 
6, 2007, Elena Salgado brings breadth and depth of experience 
to her portfolio.   Enjoying a reputation for sound fiscal 
management, in this legislature she will have to deal with 
the extremely complicated local corporation funding law, 
facilitating an accord between the PSOE-led government and 
the PP-led opposition, and then negotiating its 
implementation between the national government, the 
autonomous communities, and the local governments.  Salgado 
will also be charged with implementing Zapatero's announced 
reform of State Administration. 
 
¶37.  (U)  Salgado served as Health Minister of Health from 
2004 to 2007, tasked with managing federal health and 
 
MADRID 00000552  006.2 OF 011 
 
 
pharmaceutical spending and expanding public health services. 
  Salgado's efforts were deemed responsible for the unanimous 
passage of the smoking ban in workplaces and public spaces in 
¶2005.  During her stint at the Health Ministry, the press 
termed Salgado, "Minister Anti", referring to her positions 
against alcohol, smoking, and obesity.  The Spanish 
Government presented Salgado as a candidate for the World 
Health Organization Presidency in September 2006, but she was 
not elected. 
 
¶38.  (U)  Elena Salgado served as Secretary General for 
Communications in the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and 
Environment with Minister Jose Borrell in President Felipe 
Gonzalez's administration.  She helped transform the National 
Postal Office and participated in the telecommunications 
liberalization process.  She served as a member of the Board 
of Telefonica Hispasat, Retevision and Correos.   She also 
approved the Sogecable (Prisa) and Telefonica merger to 
create Cablevision, although the proposal was rejected by the 
European Commission, leading to Cablevision's eventual 
dissolution. 
 
¶39.  (U)  Her other public service credentials include 
Director General for Personnel Costs and Public Pensions in 
the Economy Ministry and Finance and Director of Studies in 
the Small and Medium Business Institute in the Industry 
Ministry.  In 1996 she was President of the Lyric Theatre 
Foundation that manages the Royal Opera House.  While she is 
not a PSOE member, Salgado does have close ties with party 
loyalists including Interior Minister Rubalcaba and her 
former boss Jose Borrell. 
 
¶40.  (U)  In the private sector, Salgado served in advisory 
capacities with Arthur Andersen (1999-2000), Lenci Consulting 
SL (1997-2000), and the Social Council of the Universidad 
Politecnica (1999-2002).  In 2002, Salgado was appointed CEO 
of Vallehermoso Telecom, but the press reported she was let 
go because she was too intransigent.  In September 2003, 
Salgado was named President of 11811 Nueva Informacion 
Telefonica, the Spanish branch of the German multinational 
Telegate AG. 
 
¶41.  (U)  Elena Salgado was born in Orense in 1949.  She has 
a degree in industrial engineering with a specialization in 
Energy from the Universidad Politecnica, and another in 
economics from the Complutense University.  Most of her 
professional life has been in the telecommunications world. 
She speaks English and French. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Magdalena Alvarez Arza 
Minister of Public Works (Fomento - also translated as 
Development) 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶42.  (SBU)  Returning for her second cabinet term, Minister 
Alvarez is responsible for the government's 15-year, 
250-billion euro plan to expand the high-speed rail (AVE) and 
road networks, which the GOS says will give Spain more 
kilometers of high speed rail lines than any other country. 
She was widely criticized in 2007 after prolonged delays in 
the construction of the AVE line between Madrid and 
Barcelona, with the deaths of construction workers and 
construction accidents that interrupted service on several of 
Barcelona's commuter lines for six weeks.  In November 2007, 
the Catalan legislature approved a motion calling for her 
resignation, and the national Senate approved such a motion 
in December.  A similar motion in the national Congress (the 
more influential lower house) failed by only three votes in 
November.  In addition to difficult relations with Catalonia, 
she also has had a tense relationship with Madrid Autonomous 
Community President Esperanza Aguirre.  Many observers had 
thought it likely that Zapatero would replace Alvarez after 
the election.  While she is known for her loyalty to 
Zapatero, some local press posit that the powerful President 
of Andalucia, Manuel Chaves, played a role in maintaining 
Alvarez's cabinet position.  Wags claim Chaves recommended 
her to Zapatero years ago to get her out of Andalucia and he 
insisted Zapatero keep her in the cabinet (and in Madrid) in 
his second term.  The eventual opening of the 
Madrid-Barcelona line just before the election, along with 
the opening in late 2007 of AVE lines to Malaga and 
Valladolid may have reduced the pressure on Alvarez. 
 
¶43.  (SBU)  Alvarez, who joined the PSOE in 1997, served as a 
key advisor as Zapatero prepared his 2004 election bid.  She 
has worked as a university economics lecturer and at 
positions in the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the 
 
MADRID 00000552  007.2 OF 011 
 
 
state agency of tax administration.  She was councilor for 
economy and finance in the Andalucia Autonomous Community 
government from 1994 to 2004, developing a reputation for 
expertise on regional finance issues.   According to the 
press, her husband, Juan Manuel Gonzalez-Aurioles, is 
director general of Emgrisa, a business related to the 
uranium enrichment and nuclear energy sector.  Alvarez was 
born in San Fernando, Cadiz in 1952.  She has an 
undergraduate degree and a PhD. in economic and business 
sciences, the former from the Complutense University of 
Madrid and the latter from the University of Malaga.  She 
understands and speaks some English but prefers not to use it 
in meetings. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Elena Espinosa 
Minister of Environment, Rural, and Maritime Issues (merger 
of Environment and Agriculture) 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶44.  (SBU)  Elena Espinosa was named Minister of Agriculture, 
Fisheries and Food when Zapatero took office in 2004.  Most 
recently, she was voted a deputy in the National Congress in 
the 2008 election. 
At the start of Zapatero's second administration, Espinosa's 
ministry absorbs the functions of the former Environment 
ministry.  The Agriculture Ministry, under her leadership, 
had been generally supportive of agricultural biotechnology, 
while the former Environment Ministry had generally opposed 
it.  Espinosa takes on responsibility for Spain's drought and 
related water issues.  She also gains responsibility for 
climate change, which has been elevated to having a separate 
secretary of state (deputy minister).  She may have a role in 
deciding next steps as Spain's nuclear power plants approach 
the end of their scheduled operation; Zapatero has said that 
Spain will close the plants, but in recent weeks he has 
appeared to leave the door open for reconsideration. 
Espinosa has not taken anti-nuclear positions. 
 
¶45.  (U)  Espinosa's public service began in 1985 in Vigo, 
Galicia under Felipe Gonzalez's PSOE-led government.  From 
1988 through 1996, Espinosa was president of the Port 
Authority of Vigo, an active port that is the home to Spain's 
largest fishing fleet.   Espinosa introduced port reforms 
that set her against the local PSOE party leadership.  In 
1996, Espinosa served as labor advisor at the Galician 
Institute of Technical Medicine.  She returned to the private 
sector and was the number two at the Rodman shipbuilding 
group from 1998 to 2004. 
 
¶45.  (U)  Born in March 1960 in Galicia, Espinosa holds a 
degree in business and economics from the University of 
Santiago de Compostela.  She is married.  She does not speak 
English. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Bibiana Aido (new) 
Minister of Equality (new Ministry) 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶47.  (U)  A new face in the Spanish cabinet, as head of a 
newly created Ministry, Bibiana Aido's  challenges include 
establishing the new equality law, developing the dependent's 
law, and expanding social coverage for legal immigrants.  The 
new ministry will incorporate the government's Youth 
Institute and the Women's Institute along with existing 
programs geared at ending violence, increasing the presence 
of women in the public life and the private sector workplace. 
 
¶48.  (U)  Bibiana Aido will resign from the Andalucian 
Parliament seat she won in the March 2008 elections.  A PSOE 
card holder since 1995, she is Secretary of Equality of the 
PSOE's Executive Commission of Cadiz.  From February 2003 to 
July 2006 Aido served in the Andalucian regional Ministry of 
Culture and from July 2006 to March 2008 she directed the 
Andalucian Agency for the Development of Flamenco. According 
to the media, Andalucian President Manuel Chaves considers 
Aido as one of his potential successors.  For that reason, 
Chaves supported her candidacy for a national-level political 
position that would bring her additional public recognition. 
 Interior Minister Rubalcaba is also one of her mentors. 
 
¶49.  (U)  Born in Cadiz in 1977 to a politically active 
family, she has degrees in Business Administration from the 
University of Cadiz and in International Business 
Administration from the University of Northumbria in 
Newcastle (UK).  Aido speaks English. 
 
 
MADRID 00000552  008.2 OF 011 
 
 
--------------------------- 
Mercedes Cabrera Calvo-Sotelo 
Minister of Education, Social Policy, and Sports (Ministry 
reorganized) 
---------------------------- 
 
Mercedes Cabrera was appointed Minister of Science and 
Education in 2006 and will continue her work in the 
re-organized Ministry during Zapatero's second term.  This 
Ministry now manages social policy that was previously 
directed in the former Labor Ministry (now Labor and 
Immigration Ministry).  Cabrera will have to implement the 
Law of Dependence and Law against Gender Violence passed 
during the last legislature in coordination with her 
colleague, Equality Minister Aido.   The Ministry lost its 
control over Spanish universities, which are now transferred 
to the newly created Ministry of Science and Innovation. 
 
In addition to her work reorganizing the Ministry's scope of 
work, Cabrera faces many of the same challenges including 
implementing the controversial "Citizens Education 
Curriculum," that is viewed by the opposition party as an 
"indoctrination" program and that has been contested in 
Courts by  parents and parent associations.   Cabrera will 
also manage efforts to minimize the Catholic Church's 
unhappiness for taking "catholic religion" out of the 
national curriculum. 
 
A long-time Zapatero confident, Cabrera helped write the PSOE 
2000 electoral program.  She attended Colegio Estudio of 
Madrid.  She received a doctorate in 1977.  She became a 
university professor in 1996 and currently teaches at the 
University of Complutense.  She has written a number of 
articles on business, politics, and economics, and has 
participated in an important number of conferences about 
history and economic in Spanish and foreign universities. 
Mercedes Cabrera Calvo-Sotelo was born in Madrid in 1951. 
She is married to Carlos Arenillas.   She was the niece of 
Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, the recently deceased former President 
of Spain. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Celestino Corbacho Chaves (new) 
Minister of Labor and Immigration (Ministry reorganized) 
---------------------------------- 
 
A new member of Zapatero's cabinet, Celestino Chaves adds 
value with his close ties to the Catalan Autonomous 
Community.  Active in national PSOE political structures 
since 2000, from 2004 to 2008, he headed the Barcelona 
provincial government.  Celestino Corbacho is the longtime 
mayor of the municipality of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, a 
Barcelona suburb that has one of the highest concentrations 
of immigrants in Spain, with a reported 22.7 percent in 2006. 
 He has been a member of the Socialist Party of Catalonia 
(PSC) since 1976 and has held several leadership positions in 
the PSC.  He was elected a L'Hospitalet city councilor in 
1983 and was mayor from 1994 until 2008, being re-elected 
most recently in 2007.  He served in the Catalan autonomous 
community legislature from 1992 to 1999 and was a member of 
the board of directors of the Federation of Municipalities of 
Catalonia from 1995 to 2004.  Between 1999 and 2003 he was 
the President of the Metropolitan (Barcelona) Transportation 
Entity.  Corbacho was born in Valverde de Leganes, Badajoz, 
on November 14, 1949.  He is married with no children. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Miguel Sebastian Gascon 
Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Commerce 
------------------------------------------ 
 
Miguel Sebastian is a Zapatero loyalist who was Director of 
the Economic Office of the President, with rank of Secretary 
of State (vice-minister), from 2004 until late 2006.  He left 
that position when he accepted Zapatero's request to be the 
PSOE's candidate for mayor of Madrid in the 2007 election. 
He was not expected to defeat the popular PP incumbent 
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, and his clear defeat does not seem to 
have damaged his influence over policy within the PSOE.  In 
his Presidency position, Sebastian clashed with Second Vice 
President and Finance and Economy Minister Pedro Solbes, 
generally taking more interventionist positions than Solbes. 
Sebastian was closely involved in the GOS' efforts to prevent 
the German electric utility E.ON from purchasing Spanish 
utility Endesa, and he was reported to have helped broker the 
eventually successful bid by the Italian company Enel and 
Spain's Acciona to acquire Endesa.  In the weeks after the 
March 9 election, he has been reported to be encouraging 
 
MADRID 00000552  009.2 OF 011 
 
 
deals among Spain's energy companies that would prevent 
France's EDF from taking over Spain's Iberdrola.  As Minister 
of Industry, Tourism, and Commerce, he has formal 
responsibility for energy regulation, and he has named a 
former subordinate at the Economic Office of the President, 
Pedro Marin, to be Secretary General of Energy.  (Solbes had 
reportedly sought to gain responsibility for energy in this 
government.)  Two of the new ministers, Science and 
Innovation Minister Cristina Garmendia and Housing Minister 
Beatriz Corredor, are said to be Sebastian allies. 
 
Sebastian was born on May 13, 1957.  He has a degree in 
Economic and Business Sciences from Madrid's Complutense 
University and a PhD. in economics from the University of 
Minnesota.  His doctoral studies were partially financed by a 
Fulbright Scholarship.  He has worked in the planning office 
of the Economy and Finance Ministry and the Central Bank's 
economic studies office.  In the private sector, he was 
Director of Studies (chief economist) for Banco Bilbao 
Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) and its predecessor.  He is viewed 
as a competent and pragmatic economist who is also a PSOE 
partisan and is likely to take political considerations into 
account in setting policy.  He speaks English and has 
emphasized the importance of encouraging Spaniards to learn 
English. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Cristina Garmendia Mendizabal (new) 
Minister of Science and Innovation  (new Ministry) 
----------------------------------------- 
 
Cristina Garmendia is a biotechnology business executive who 
is connected to new Minister of Industry, Tourism, and 
Commerce Miguel Sebastian.  From 2005 through 2008 she was in 
the science and technology office within the Office for 
Economic Affairs of the President that was headed by 
Sebastian from 2005 through 2007.  Sebastian is reported to 
have recommended her selection to President Zapatero.  Some 
political analysts have speculated that her selection is also 
a reward for the excellent results the PSOE obtained in the 
Basque Country in the 2008 elections; Zapatero's previous 
Cabinet did not include any Basque ministers.  According to 
press reports, she is not a member of the PSOE.  Garmendia's 
ministry is a new one that has taken portfolios from several 
other ministries, including the Ministries of Health and 
Education.  Press reports have described its creation as a 
sign of Zapatero's emphasis on encouraging research and 
development in order to boost Spain's productivity over the 
long term and contribute to economic growth.  After being 
named Minister, Garmendia told a reporter that her ministry 
would work with the business sector, universities, and the 
public sector to take full advantage of scientific knowledge. 
 
 
Garmendia is from San Sebastian in the Basque Country.  In 
1985 she received an undergraduate degree in biology with a 
specialization in genetics from the University of Seville. 
She obtained a PhD. in molecular biology from the Autonomous 
University of Madrid.  In 1992 she received an Executive MBA 
from the University of Navarre's Institute for Higher 
Business Studies (IESE).  From 1992 to 2001, she worked in 
the business development area of the Group Amasua, a fishing 
industry group, leaving as executive vice president and 
financial director.  In 2000 she was a co-founder of the 
medical biotechnology company Genetrix, the first company 
hat emerged from research work conducted by Spain's National 
Center for Biotechnology.  She was president and CEO of 
Genetrix from 2000 to 2008.  She has been president of 
several other biotechnology companies and is president of the 
board of the Inbiomed Foundation, which has the first bank of 
adult stem cells in Spain.  From 2005 to 2008, she was 
president of the Association of Biotechnological Enterprises 
(ASEBIO).  Since 2006, she has been a member of the board of 
directors of the Confederation of Business Organizations 
(CEOE) umbrella business chamber.  She has served on several 
academic, hospital, and foundation boards, professional 
bodies, and prize juries.  She serves on the board of the 
foundation of the Botin banking family, members of which 
control San Sebastian-based Banco Santander and Madrid-based 
Bankinter.  In January 2008, she was awarded the "Golden 
Drum," San Sebastian's highest honor, for the positive 
contribution she has made to the image of the city. 
Garmendia was born February 21, 1962.  She is married with 
four children.  She has traveled to the U.S. on business 
frequently and speaks English. 
 
----------------------------- 
Beatriz Corredor (new) 
 
MADRID 00000552  010.2 OF 011 
 
 
Minister of Housing 
----------------------------- 
 
Beatriz Corredor replaces now-Defense Minister Carme Chacon 
as Housing Minister.  Corredor is reported to be a political 
ally of new Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Commerce 
Miguel Sebastian.  She obtained a law degree from the 
Autonomous University of Madrid in 1991 and passed the 
examinations to become a member of the Body of Registrars at 
a relatively young age in 1993.  She has held office at land 
registries in Valencia de Alcantara, Caceres; Campillos, 
Malaga; and Lillo, Toledo.  She has lectured on law at the 
Universities of Castile-La Mancha and Ciudad Real and has 
spoken at seminars on issues such as mortgage clauses and 
secondary mortgage markets.  She was the first woman board 
member for the examination to become a Registrar.  She joined 
the PSOE in 2003 and became the Madrid City Councilor for 
Housing in September 2007. 
 
As Housing Minister, Corredor will have to address the 
aftereffects of Spain's multi-year housing boom and its 
sudden end in 2007; both the high prices that have made 
housing expensive for many Spaniards and the rapid decline in 
housing construction.  She will seek to implement efforts 
begun by Chacon -- who was only Minister for nine months -- 
to make housing more affordable by providing income-tested 
subsidies to young renters by making it easier for property 
owners to evict tenants for nonpayment of rent.  Corredor 
also will seek to increase the amount of housing built with 
public subsidies, which may be a way to help the many real 
estate and construction companies that are in financial 
difficulties. 
 
Corredor was born in Madrid in July 1968.  She is married and 
has three daughters.  She speaks and understands basic 
English but needs an interpreter for nearly all purposes. 
 
------------------------ 
Bernat Soria Escoms 
Minister of Health and Consumption 
-------------------------- 
 
Minister of Health since July 2007, Soria emphasized the 
importance of increasing Spanish research and development in 
his first term.  Press reports indicate that in Zapatero's 
second administration, this aspect of his ministry's 
portfolio has been shifted to the new Ministry of Innovation 
and Technology. 
 
Soria is a medical doctor (University of Valencia) and a 
leading expert on stem cells.  He has worked extensively in 
the U.S. and has a very positive image of the U.S.  He 
coordinated the European Embryonic Stem Cell Network, taught 
physiology at Pablo de Olvide University in Alicante, and 
directed the Andalucian Center of Molecular Biology and 
Regenerative Medicine in Seville.  From 2001-05, he conducted 
research in Singapore after the Health Ministry (during the 
Aznar government) opened a case against him for conducting 
research on stem cells acquired in the U.S. in apparent 
violation of Spanish law.  He also has worked in laboratories 
in the UK, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland, as well as the 
U.S.  He has received many professional awards and presided 
over several professional societies.  Born in Carlet, 
Valencia in 1951, he is married with two children.  He speaks 
English. 
 
---------------------------- 
Cesar Antonio Molina 
Minister of Culture 
---------------------------- 
 
Minister of Culture since July 6, 2007, Cesar Antonio Molina 
will continue his work on the Digital Canon, a Spanish tax 
levied on electronic devices, including blank DVDs, 
computers, IPODS, etc., that are capable of reproducing 
digital material.   The tax revenues fund the powerful 
Spanish Authors Association and the law's application and 
funding distribution remain a controversial topic.  Molina 
will also focus on grants for the Spanish film industry and 
expanding Spanish language internet usage. 
 
Previously, Molina directed the Cervantes Institute from 
2004-2007.   From 1996 to 2004 he directed the Circulo de 
Bellas Artes.  From 1985 to 1996 he worked for "Cambio 16" 
magazine and for "Diario 16" newspaper, and he has written 
for the newspapers El Pais, La Vanguardia, and La Voz de 
Galicia.  In 2005, the French Government named him "Gentleman 
of Arts and Letters".  Molina has published about thirty 
 
MADRID 00000552  011.2 OF 011 
 
 
books, mostly essays, prose, and poetry.  According to the 
media, Molina is well educated, diplomatic, and considered a 
facilitator.  He does not have a PSOE membership card, but 
his family has a long association with socialist political 
groups. 
 
Cesar Antonio Molina was born in A Coruna in 1952.  He has a 
degree in Law from the University of Santiago, and a PhD "Cum 
Laude" in Journalism from the Complutense University.  He has 
a degree in Italian Language and Literature from the 
University of Perugia, and belongs to the French and Spanish 
International Associations of Literary Criticism. Molina has 
been Professor of Literary Theory and Critic in the 
Complutense University, and of Humanities and Journalism at 
the Carlos III University in Madrid. 
Llorens