Zapatero said he got the word here from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on the center, which was to be set up in the town of Manises, in the Valencia region.
"At the new base, the United Nations will carry out logistical support activities such as electronic communication with peacekeeping missions on the ground," as well as do information technology and communications work, Zapatero told a press conference.
"Spain, which now will have a nerve center of UN activity, is expecting to invest at least 12 million euros (15 million dollars) to develop the project," Zapatero added.
The project will likely be given a green light by the UN General Assembly in the coming weeks, Zapatero said.
The Spanish prime minister was among leaders on hand for the Ibero-American Summit which opened on Friday in Uruguay, a gathering of Spain, Portugal and their former colonies across the Americas.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2006