White House says U.S. will continue to work with Spain in war on terrorism

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters April 19 that President Bush spoke with Spain's new president of government, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and expressed regrets at Zapatero's announcement that he intends to pull all Spanish troops out of Iraq.

According to news reports, Zapatero announced April 18 that he had ordered the withdrawal of Spain's 1,800 military personnel in Iraq. He had said previously he would pull out the troops if the United Nations did not take charge in Iraq by June 30.

"The president urged that the Spanish withdrawal take place in a coordinated manner that does not put at risk other coalition forces in Iraq," McClellan said. "The president stressed the importance of carefully considering future actions to avoid giving false comfort to the terrorists and enemies of freedom in Iraq."

A Spanish government official told reporters that the withdrawal should take a month to a month and a half to complete. The official did not speculate about when the withdrawal would begin.

Asked if the Bush administration was surprised by Zapatero's decision, the spokesman said, "We were aware of this decision given the recent elections, and we will continue to work with Spain in the war on terrorism."

Zapatero was sworn into office April 17 following his party's victory in a March 14 general election held in the aftermath of the Madrid train bombings.

"The coalition in Iraq is strong, and we appreciate recent statements by many coalition nations expressing their solidarity and resolve," McClellan said.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)