Madrid - For years, Spain had struggled to be recognized as more than just a middle-ranking European power - as a "relevant global player," as Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero puts it.

But just as Spain had got its foot in the door of the G20, participating in meetings drafting global economic policy, its international reputation took a big blow over its unexpected decision to recall its troops from Kosovo.

The move also led to a sudden fall from grace for Carme Chacon, the country's first female defence minister, who had been the rising star of the Zapatero government.

Last week, Chacon took Spain's NATO allies by surprise by announcing during a visit to Kosovo that Madrid was withdrawing its 620 troops from the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force in the former Serbian province.

It made no sense for Spanish soldiers to help build a state the independence of which Madrid did not recognize, Zapatero and other government representatives explained.

Spain is one of the few countries not to recognize the independence Kosovo declared in February 2008. Madrid sees it as a dangerous precedent for other potential breakaway regions, including its own Basque region.

Chacon's announcement sparked a storm among Spain's NATO allies, which blasted Madrid over not consulting them beforehand. The United States said it was "deeply disappointed."

The US reaction was a cold shower to Spanish hopes of mending relations with Washington, which had suffered severely after Zapatero recalled Spanish troops from Iraq following his election victory in 2004.

Spain's presence in Iraq had reflected the country's attempts to gain global clout, as Zapatero's conservative predecessor Jose Maria Aznar lent what many saw as unconditional support to the policies of then US president George W Bush.

Aznar's global ambitions led to disappointment, as Spain's participation in the Iraq conflict contributed to an Islamist attack that killed 191 people in Madrid and to the conservatives' election defeat to socialist Zapatero.

The election of Barack Obama as US president had raised Spanish hopes of relaunching relations with the United States, when Chacon's announcement sparked the crisis over Kosovo.

The 38-year-old minister had made international headlines immediately after taking office, by inspecting troops while being seven months pregnant.

That unprecedented sight was seen as heralding a new age of gender equality in Spain. Since then, Chacon had soared to one of the most popular ministers, and had been tipped as Zapatero's successor.

Spanish public opinion backs the pullout from Kosovo, but Chacon faced a barrage of criticism over her failure to consult, not only NATO allies, but allegedly even the foreign minister.

On Monday, Chacon tried to limit the damage, saying the troops would be withdrawn gradually and in coordination with NATO.

Spain was also expected to compensate for the Kosovo pullout by increasing its presence in Afghanistan, where it has 780 soldiers as part of the NATO-led ISAF force.

Even so, the Kosovo row was seen as having delivered a serious blow to Spain's credibility just as the country had obtained a coveted invitation to the upcoming G20 summit in London, despite not being a member of the group.

Spain has also been accepted into the Financial Stability Forum, which is to play a role in reforming the international financial system, after intense diplomatic efforts earned the country a seat at the G20 summit in Washington in November.

More than three decades after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, Spain has taken enormous strides forward and is counted among the world's top economies, the government argues.

Not only does Spain want to be among the top economic decision- makers, but it is also seeking a bigger role in the Middle East peace process by making use of its friendly relations with the Arab world.

Many in Israel, however, no longer perceive Spain as being sufficiently neutral, following massive anti-Israeli rallies over the country's recent Gaza offensive, and the launch of a Spanish judicial probe into a 2003 Gaza bombing by Israel.

After the crisis over Kosovo, "Spain is now not a credible country" on the international scene, the daily El Pais quoted a diplomatic source as saying. (dpa)