U.S. Fears Spanish Pullout From Iraq

If Zapatero translated his threats into action, the U.S. could no longer use their presence as evidence of international support for the occupation of Iraq, The Telegraph said.

“This means a lot to an administration that stresses at every opportunity that it is not acting alone as anti-war feeling is present in virtually every country in the “coalition”.”

In doing so, the paper added, Zapatero would rip “a substantial hole in the cloak of diplomatic cover over cloaking the U.S. occupation”.

Zapatero vowed Monday, March15 , to pull out the1 , 300Spanish troops of Iraq by the end of June, the date the United States has promised to hand over power to a provisional Iraqi government.

“The war in Iraq was a disaster, the occupation of Iraq is a disaster,” Zapatero said. “It has only caused violence.”

The Telegraph cited mounting pressures on Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconito withdraw Italian forces after 19 Italians were killed in an attack in Iraq last December.

It said departure of Spain and Italy could lead to a “stampede” of remaining partners, with only Britain and Australia likely to stay the course.

The most substantial European nations occupying Iraq are Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain.

Fearing a spate of defections, U.S. President George W. Bush Tuesday called for international solidarity with the Iraqi people in view of the Spanish threat after talks with Dutch Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende.

"It’s essential that we remain side by side with the Iraqi people as they begin the process of self-government," Bush said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Ironically enough polls showed that a majority of the Dutch people also wanting a withdrawal of the Dutch contingent in Iraq.

To them, Bush said: "I would ask them to think about the Iraqi citizens who don’t want people to withdraw because they want to be free.

"And I would remind the Dutch citizens that al-Qaeda has an interest in Iraq for a reason. And that interest is they realize this is a front in the war on terror."

The U.S. leader did not directly mention the threat by Spain to withdraw its1 , 300troops.

Zapatero used his victory speech Monday to hit out at the “lies” used to launch the Iraq war, urging Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to practice “self criticism”.

Zapatero was speaking just hours after his Socialist Party (PSOE) dealt the conservative Popular Party (PP) of outgoing prime minister Jose Maria Aznar a surprise defeat in general elections colored by last Thursday’s bombings of crowded Madrid commuter trains that killed 200 people and wounded1 ,500.