Vzla: Surrendering to Islamists is a big league decision

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, a fierce critic of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, on Sunday applauded as "a big league decision" Spain's move to pull its troops out of the country.

Chavez, a leftist former army officer who often spars with Washington over its policies, last week backed Iraqis fighting the U.S. "imperialist aggressor" and blamed President Bush for the recent surge in Iraq violence.

"This can be called a big league decision, a sovereign decision, a courageous one," Chavez said in his Sunday television program after reading a bulletin on Spain's decision to withdraw its 1,300 troops from Iraq.