Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero Saturday visited survivors still recovering from the March 11 terrorist bombings, shortly after he took the post as Spanish new prime minister.

After a morning ceremony at the royal Zarzuela Palace where King Juan Carlos formally appointed him prime minister, and a short stop in his official residence, the Moncloa palace, the socialist leader headed for the Gregorio Maranon and October 12 hospitals to visit some 40 survivors of Spain's worst ever terrorist attack that killed 192 people and wounded 1,450.

Zapatero placed a bouquet of 12 red roses at an altar at Atochastation, one of those where trains were bombed. Hundreds of candles, pictures of the deceased, messages and poems were placed around there.

Zapatero read some of the messages before leaving the station amid applause from the people present.

Zapatero, 44, a career politician with a law degree, has servedin parliament since 1986 but never in government. He has been leader of Spain's Socialist Party since March 2000.

Overshadowed by the Madrid terrorist bombings, the Socialist Party defeated the ruling People' s Party in the March 14 general elections and became the largest party in the parliament.

Zapatero has pledged to bring the 1,300 Spanish troops in Iraq back home if the United Nations does not play a central role thereby June 30 and said the anti-terror struggle will be one of the main tasks of his government.

Source: Xinhua