Bulgaria is mulling the option of not withdrawing its troops from Iraq by the end of the year, it has emerged during the visit of the defense minister to Berlin.

Bulgaria and Poland confirm their willingness to continue their fight against international terrorism, the Bulgarian section of BBC cited Minister Vesselin Bliznakov as telling journalists. He spoke after his meeting with his Polish counterpart Jerzy Szmajdzinski in the framework of NATO informal two-day meeting in Berlin.

The two officials have discussed ways for Bulgarian troops to remain in Iraq in 2006 as training staff for the Iraqi army.

Bliznakov has explained to his colleagues in Berlin that the decision for the withdrawal from Iraq was taken by parliament as early as in May, binding the hands of the executive power.

Bulgaria's parliament, which has the final say over Bulgarian troop deployments, approved in May a government plan to withdraw the country's 450 troops in Iraq by the end of the year. It was also decided that the troops in Iraq are reduced to 370.

Bulgaria's new Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev has said the country will withdraw its troops from Iraq by the end of the year, stepping back from the socialists' vow to pull out the soldiers sooner.

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