February 17, 2010
Obama hosts Spanish king at lunch
The Associated PressPresident Barack Obama hosted lunch for Spanish King Juan Carlos I on Wednesday, but the White House did not say if they discussed Obama's decision to skip a Madrid summit with European Union leaders.
Obama raised European hackles with the announcement Feb. 1 that he would forgo the annual summit meeting. It was seen in Spain as a diplomatic slap. Obama's decision became public only two days before Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero arrived for a two-day Washington visit. Zapatero holds the EU rotating presidency and was to host the Madrid summit.
A brief White House statement said Obama "highlighted his interest in strengthening our partnership with Spain."