US President George W. Bush has rebuked Spain's new prime minister, Mr Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, over his decision to withdraw 1,400 troops from Iraq and urged him to make sure the move does not put other forces at risk.
In a five-minute telephone call initiated by Mr Zapatero, Mr Bush also warned Madrid against taking future actions that could give "false comfort to terrorists."
"We'll continue to work with Spain in the war on terrorism," White House spokesman Mr Scott McClellan told reporters. "The coalition in Iraq is strong."
Spain announced yesterday it would withdraw its 1,400 troops from Iraq as soon as possible, dealing a major blow to the US-led coalition.
Under former prime minister Mr Jose Maria Aznar, Spain, along with Britain and Italy, had been one of the strongest supporters of Bush's invasion of Iraq last year to oust President Saddam Hussein.
Mr Zapatero made the announcement a day after being sworn in as prime minister following his Socialist party's upset victory in a March 14th general election held in the shadow of the Madrid train bombings.
"The US president expressed his regret to Zapatero about the decision to abruptly pull out Spanish troops from Iraq," Mr McClellan said.
"The president urged that the Spanish withdrawal take place in a co-ordinated manner that does not put at risk other coalition forces in Iraq."