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Spain Begins Iraq Troop Withdrawal Process
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| Contributor | Gerald Farinas |
| Last Edited | Gerald Farinas Apr 19, 2004 03:22pm |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Monday, April 19, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Spain Begins Iraq Troop Withdrawal Process
Reuters
Spain has begun withdrawing its soldiers from Iraq and will have them all home within weeks, Spain's new government said Monday. Defense Minister Jose Bono said he would not give any dates for the troop pullout for security reasons and because the troops had to be told before anyone else. "The process has started and will be completed rapidly," Bono told a news conference after the new government's first cabinet meeting. Asked about a report about the time needed for withdrawal, Bono said: "Whoever said six to eight weeks was being imprudent because it will be less." A military plane left Monday with equipment to help carry out the withdrawal, Bono said. Originally that flight was to have been for a routine troop rotation.
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's new prime minister, announced Sunday he had given orders for Spain's 1,400 troops in Iraq "to come home in the shortest possible time and the greatest possible safety." President Bush expressed regret Monday to Zapatero over the decision and warned Madrid against taking further actions that could give "false comfort to terrorists," a White House spokesman said. The response from European capitals was muted, with some European policymakers expressing support or respect for Zapatero's move. In Iraq, radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for a halt to attacks on Spanish troops in Iraq because they were pulling out. |
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