Fed: Howard condemns Spain's troop pullout

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2004
Fed: Howard condemns Spain's troop pullout

CANBERRA, April 19 AAP - Spain's decision to withdraw its troops from Iraq would encourage
more bloodshed in the troubled nation, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said today 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.

Mr Howard condemned the decision and said it would not influence the Australian government's
decision to keep 850 personnel in Iraq.

"It's likely to encourage those who are opposed to the coalition to believe that if
they can cause more bloodshed and trouble then more will pull out," he told ABC radio.

"It will not alter the Australian government's position one iota.

"It's a bad decision and it's a decision I regret," he said.

"It will encourage the insurgency, it will not encourage more peaceful activity in Iraq."

Australian Defence Force chief General Peter Cosgrove today refused to say how much
longer the Australian military would remain in Iraq.

How long the contingent stays has been the subject of hot political debate in Australia.

"I don't want to get into timings. Timings are obviously a matter for government,"

General Cosgrove said.

"We could sustain the deployment we have in Iraq for a considerable period. I don't
want to put a time on it.

"We have been sustaining P3s, C-130s, a protected element inside Iraq, the frigate
- we've been sustaining that continuously now for some time and we have plans to be able
to sustain that into the future."

Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmad Chalabi said he would like Australian troops to
stay another 18 months to complete their training roles in the war-torn country.

AAP dep/jg/sp

KEYWORD: IRAQ SPAIN AUST LEAD

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