Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos "informed me that his government plans to announce the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq but without mentioning a date for carrying out this decision," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said in a statement.

Earlier a Egyptian foreign ministry statement said Moratinos had told Maher in a telephone conversation "of the intention of the new head of the Spanish government to announce the withdrawal within 15 days of Spanish troops from Iraq."

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero had announced in a televised address that Spain will withdraw its troops "as soon as possible" because Madrid's conditions for maintaining the contingent in the US-led coalition appeared unlikely to be met.

Zapatero had vowed following his Socialist Party's election win last month to pull Spanish troops from Iraq unless they come under UN command by June 30 when their mandate expires.

"It does not look like a UN resolution will match the content" of the Spanish demands on Iraq, Zapatero said.

He gave no details on the timetable for the withdrawal, but government sources said the pullout could take place over about 50 days.

Zapatero's conservative predecessor, Jose Maria Aznar, sent 1,300 troops in August to serve as part of the coalition in Iraq, a move which led to huge protests across Spain.

WAR.WIRE