Spain will fulfill its international commitment to keeping military foreign missions, except in Iraq, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Tuesday.

The prime minister made the remarks when explaining Spain's decision to withdraw troops from Iraq in the Spanish Parliament.

He promised Spain will work with the other nations of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) to return independence back to Iraqis "as soon" as possible.

He considered the international community's failure to pave the way for a solution to the Middle East conflict "will increase the risks of fanaticism and international terrorism."

Spain currently participates in operations led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with UN mandate in the Serbian province of Kosovo, in the multinational contingent deployed in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

A frigate of the Spanish Navy is in the Arabic Sea as a part of the Lasting Freedom anti-terror campaign, while other Spanish ships participate in another NATO anti-terror operation called Active Effort and are deployed in the Mediterranean.

Rodriguez Zapatero announced his government will contribute in constructive ways and on the background of the United Nations to seeking solutions to the Western Sahara conflict and to guaranteeing a future of stability and peace in the Maghreb.

Source: Xinhua