In another development, the Spanish government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar came under pressure Wednesday to withdraw its troops from Iraq as it mourned its first fatality in the war-shattered country.

Oar was Spain's 86th casualty in the past decade on peace missions, according to Spanish ministry of defense figures, including 62 servicemen who were killed when an Ukrainian-made aircraft flying them back from Afghanistan crashed in Turkey in May.

The death of Oar, a naval captain, has shocked Spain and opposition parties swiftly called for a parliamentary debate in the belief that Spanish forces should be brought home.

"Many Spaniards are concerned at what the armed forces are doing as an occupation force in Iraq," said Socialist Party (PSOE) president Manuel Chaves, speaking in the southern Spanish town of Pilas.

He called for a parliamentary debate "leading to the exit" of Spanish forces from occupied Iraq.

The leader of the far left United Left grouping, Gaspar Llamazares demanded "the abandonment of Spanish engagement in the occupation of Iraq and the return of the soldiers."

Aznar, a staunch U.S. ally in the Iraq invasion, has pledged a 1,300-strong troop contingent for Iraq despite growing public concern and already has 744 soldiers deployed in the occupied Arab country.

While the official government line is to continue with the remainder of the deployment in Iraq, dailies El Pais and El Mundo said the deterioration in the security situation may bring the enterprise into question.

Spanish popular opinion was strongly opposed to the invasion in the first place and Aznar's government faced huge street demonstrations against the war.

Speaking from his summer holiday base on the island of Menorca, Aznar expressed sorrow at the news of Oar's death.

"This is a tragic day for the international community," he said, arguing the Baghdad bombing "seeks to pulverize international legitimacy and derail attempts to bring peace and stability to Iraq".

Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio, also known for her staunch support to the U.S. plans for Iraq, said she was saddened by "yet another death in this brutal attack."

She told Spanish radio that security had been stepped up at the Spanish embassy in Baghdad.

The Spanish death came one day after Bush said that fresh foreign troop deployments will ease the U.S. military burden in Iraq in the coming months.

"This fall you'll see a lot of protective load, kind of the guarding role being taken off the shoulders of U.S. troops and shared by coalition forces," he told Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.

Despite a spate of deadly attacks on U.S. forces and recent strikes on key water and oil targets, Bush argued Iraq has been "certainly getting better on a day-by-day basis" since the ouster of Saddam Hussein.

Reacting to Tuesday’s bloody attack on the U.N. office, the European Commission ordered the recall of three of its six staff deployed in Baghdad, a spokesman said.

The three staff being pulled out were in Iraq to assess reconstruction needs, ahead of an international donors' conference on Iraq scheduled to be held in Madrid on October 23-24.

"That mission has been disbanded for the moment. They're trying to get out as soon as they can," said the spokesman, adding that three staff for the EU humanitarian aid office will remain in Baghdad "for the time being."

Also, the Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA) in Baghdad said seven Swedes of its members, who have been in Iraq since May, will also be recalled following the bombing.

"We have decided to recall our staff there after having held discussions in Baghdad," SRSA spokesman Mats Oscarsson said.