STOCKHOLM (Xinhuanet) -- The newly elected Norwegian government led by Jens Stoltenberg wants to withdraw Norwegian soldiers from Iraq, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported on Friday.

The current Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, however, criticized this plan, and said his newly elected follower Jens Stoltenberg is inconsistent, as he wants to withdraw Norwegian soldiers from Iraq.

The so-called red-green alliance won Monday's Norwegian parliamentary election. The big winner was the Labor Party, and party leader Jens Stoltenberg will be the new prime minister, leading a coalition government of Labor, the Socialist Left and the Agrarians.

Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that he had a chance to inform US President George Bush of the general nature of the new government's foreign policy when Bush called to congratulate him on his election victory.

According to the NRK, Stoltenberg took the opportunity to assure Bush that Norway would continue its existing defense and security policy under the new left-center coalition, and take partin the global struggle against terrorism -- but that they would also be withdrawing their remaining officers in Iraq.

Outgoing Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik criticized his successor for the Iraq decision and called it inconsistent with prior policy.

Bondevik said that Labor supported the current government's decision to oppose the war but to send a company of 170 men and 20officers at the request of the United Nations. Only the officers remain, and are supposed to train Iraqi military forces.

"The 20 who remain are to take part in NATO's training mission which is part of the NATO cooperation. It seems an inconsistent policy for the Labor Party to go against having 20 officers in a NATO mission when they supported sending 170 soldiers," Bondevik said.