Spanish Defense Minister Jose Bono said Friday that he has ordered Spanish troops to leave Haiti, where they had acted as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force.

The order was issued on Wednesday, Bono said. However, citing security reasons, he declined to disclose the date of the pullout.

In September when he visited Spanish troops in Haiti, Bono said Spanish troops would remain in Haiti until after the general elections in the violence-torn country, which was held on Tuesday.

In November 2004, Spanish soldiers joined the UN mission in Haiti, which began in 2004 after then-president Jean Bertrand Aristide was ousted in February.

UN spokesman Robert Sullivan said the United Nations still hopes the Spanish government will reconsider its decision as Haiti has not yet fully completed its electoral process.

Source: Xinhua