Spain, Honduras Ready to Withdraw Troops from Iraq

U.S. President Bush has told Spain's new prime minister that he regrets Spain's "abrupt" withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has followed through on his election promise by ordering 1,300 Spanish soldiers out of Iraq. Spain says it is still committed to providing non-military help to the U.S.-led coalition.

Bush and Zapatero held a telephone conversation on Monday. According to a White House spokesman, Bush cautioned Zapatero to avoid actions that might give "false comfort to terrorists or enemies of freedom in Iraq." U.S. officials say they weren't surprised by the decision and expect some other coalition members will review their role in Iraq.

Almost on cue tiny Honduras announced it would be pulling its 370 troops from Iraq "in the shortest possible time."

"I have told the coalition countries that the troops are going to return from Iraq," President Ricardo Maduro said on Monday. Honduran soldiers have been providing medical care in central Iraq and were scheduled to leave in July.

Also on Monday Bush nominated UN ambassador John Negroponte as the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq. Bush called Negroponte, "a man of enormous experience and skill and has done a really good job of speaking for the United States to the world about our intentions to spread freedom and peace."

Negroponte, 64, would become ambassador when the U.S. hands over political power to an interim Iraqi government, probably on June 30.

The current civilian administrator, Paul Bremer, is expected to leave Iraq at that time.