Spain's new Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos reiterated Monday his country's adherence to troops withdrawal from Iraq, but expressed the hope that such a move would not harm the Spanish-US traditional relationship.

"This (withdrawal) decision should not affect bilateral relations between Spain and the United States," Moratinos said in an interview with El Pais newspaper.

The United States has been trying to persuade the new Spanish government to keep its troops in Iraq.

Shortly after the new Spanish cabinet was sworn in Sunday, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero once more announced the 1,300 troops should pull out of Iraq "as soon as possible."

A key ally of the United States, the previous Spanish government led by his predecessor, Jose Maria Aznar, sent troops to Iraq as part of the US-led coalition.

But the deadly train bombings on March 11, which took place twodays before the country's national elections and believed to avenge Spain for its support of the United States, to some extent pushed votes to Rodriguez Zapatero.

The bombings killed 191 people and injured nearly 1,900 more.

Spain's troops withdrawal plan was hailed by Shi'ite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who is leading a uprising in Iraq against US troops in southern Iraq. Sadr has called on his followers to stop attacks on Spanish troops.

"We call (on them) to ensure the security of Spanish troops until their departure as long as these forces do not perpetrate aggressions against the Iraqi people," said Sadr's spokesman Qais al-Khazaali.

But the troops withdrawal plan drew criticism from the opposition. Mariano Rajoy, chief of the new-opposition Popular Party, declared that "To make this decision speedily and by surprise is not a good message in the fight against terrorism and makes Spain more vulnerable."

Source: Xinhua