IRAQ: UNITED STATES OFFICIAL REGRETS SPANISH GOVERNMENT DECISION TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM IRAQ

Record ID: 337910

  • Title: IRAQ: UNITED STATES OFFICIAL REGRETS SPANISH GOVERNMENT DECISION TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM IRAQ
  • Date: 21st April 2004
  • Summary: (EU) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (APRIL 19, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SLV NEWS CONFERENCE WITH DAN SENOR, SPOKESMAN FOR U.S. CIVIL GOVERNOR OF IRAQ PAUL BREMER AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF COALITION MILITARY OPERATIONS IN IRAQ BRIGADIER GENERAL MARK KIMMITT; JOURNALISTS 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BG KIMMITT, SAYING: "In the short term, obviously, we all regret departure of our fellow comrades from both Spain, and if there is an announcement from Honduras I was not aware of that, both those countries have served bravely down here, served side by side and we shared a lot together not only here but also another venue such in Bosnia, Kosovo and have been great partners. They are a significant portion of what happened then at multinational Division Central-South but remarkably those are numbers that should be able to be replaced in fairly short order." 3. JOURNALISTS 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAN SENOR, SAYING: "I want to add that, as General Kimmitt said, we have known that this is likely the directions of the Spanish, the new Spanish government heading back to the elections of the new government and we have also said all along that each country and each government involved to the coalition has to make its own choices about how it intends to engage in the war on terror and how it intends to participate in securing freedom for the Iraqi people." 5. JOURNALISTS Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 6th May 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BAGHDAD, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVABLAY9N96PF1R7NPZHDX8V99ZJ
  • Story Text: U.S. army official regrets the Spanish government's
    decision to withdraw troops from Iraq, describing them as "
    a good partner".

    Deputy Chairman of the Coalition military operation
    in Iraq, Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said on Monday
    (April 19) the Spanish troops have served bravely as part
    of the multinational Division Central-South.

    "In the short term obviously we all regret departure of
    our fellow comrades from both Spain and if there is an
    announcement from Honduras, I was not aware of that,"
    Kimmitt told a news conference on Monday (April 19).

    "Both those countries have served bravely down here,
    served side by side and we shared a lot together not only
    here but also another venue such in Bosnia, Kosovo and have
    been great partners," he added.

    Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
    said on Sunday he had given orders for Spain's 1,400 troops
    in Iraq to come home as soon as possible.

    Zapatero made the surprise announcement in a televised
    statement a day after being sworn in as prime minister
    following his Socialist party's upset victory in a March 14
    general election held in the shadow of the Madrid train
    bombings.

    On his part, spokesman for U.S. Civil governor of Iraq
    said that countries of the coalition forces are free to
    make its own choices.

    "Each country and each government involved to the
    coalition has to make its own choices about how it intends
    to engage in the war on terror and how it intends to
    participate in securing freedom," Dan Senor told the news
    conference.

    Zapatero had said previously he would pull out the
    troops if the United Nations did not take charge in Iraq by
    June 30. He said he was acting now because there was no
    prospect of a U.N. resolution being adopted that met Spain's
    conditions.

    Zapatero's decision creates more problems for the United
    States whose forces are locked in the fiercest fighting in
    Iraq since last year's war toppled Saddam Hussein. U.S.

    combat casualties in Iraq topped 500 on Sunday.

    Spanish bases in Diwaniya and Najaf in south-central
    Iraq have come under sporadic attack during the recent
    upsurge of violence there and several Spanish troops have
    been wounded.

    Zapatero, a strong opponent of the U.S.-led war, said
    he had given new Defence Minister Jose Bono "the order to
    do what is necessary for the Spanish troops in Iraq to come
    home in the shortest possible time and the greatest
    possible safety".

    He said Spain would remain a faithful ally and fulfil
    its international commitments, especially those involving
    international peacekeeping missions.

    Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos travels
    to Washington this week to brief Rice and Secretary of
    State Colin Powell, Spanish news reports said.

    Newspaper El Pais said he would offer to replace
    Spanish troops in Iraq with humanitarian and reconstruction
    aid.

    At least 10 Spanish military personnel have been killed
    in Iraq since last August, including seven intelligence
    agents killed by guerrillas last November.

    The White House had hoped Zapatero would reconsider his
    campaign pledge if the United Nations took a bigger role in
    Iraq. But Zapatero said there was no indication there would
    be "a substantial change in the political and military
    situation in Iraq" by June 30.

    The United States expects other nations with forces in
    Iraq to reassess their position after Spain's decision,
    President George W. Bush's national security adviser said
    on Sunday.


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