Aznar grounds plans to privatise airports

It was back to business for the King of Spain yesterday, flush from his success in the Copa del Rey, holding talks with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar at Marivent Palace in Palma. Aznar has just started his summer holidays on the mainland and flew in by helicopter for the regular summer talks the two hold every year. While the King uses the meeting for an update on the latest domestic and international affairs, Aznar also took the opportunity of being in the Balearics to say that his government has no intention of privatising the airports “at the moment.” The Balearic government has spent the past year lobbying Madrid for control of the region's airports when the management contracts are put up for tender, so Aznar's announcement yesterday will come as a blow to the local consortium which has been battling central government. However, Aznar has made it clear from the start that the government does not favour airport control being handed over to local authorities. However yesterday the Prime Minister did say that privatisation of the airports will “probably be discussed in the future.” But Aznar would not make any comment on the Balearic left-wing coalition saying that he is not the best person to ask as he has “got other things to worry about.” Aznar neither wanted to comment on the water crisis and the Water Plan, saying that the Environment Minister Jaume Matas “would be more than willing to provide an explanation.”