Prime Minister of Spain José María Aznar actively supported U.S. President George W. Bush in the War on Terrorism by first deploying Spanish forces in the U.S.-led coalition War in Afghanistan in 2001. Aznar then met with Bush in a private meeting before 2003 invasion of Iraq to discuss the situation of in the United Nations Security Council. The Spanish newspaper "El País" leaked a partial transcript of the meeting. Aznar actively encouraged and supported the Bush administration's foreign policy and the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, and was one of the signatories of The letter of the eight defending it on the basis of secret intelligence allegedly containing evidence of the Iraqi government's nuclear proliferation. Aznar then deployed Spanish forces to the Iraq War as part of Multi-National Force – Iraq coalition forces. The majority of the Spanish population, including some members of Aznar's Partido Popular, were against the war.