Romania has no plans to pull its more than 800 troops out of Iraq and hopes last weekend's constitutional referendum will lead to stability, Foreign Minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu said on Monday, according to Reuters. "We would be there for as long as the Iraqi executive would require it," Ungureanu told reporters. He said the constitution, which appeared headed for approval in Saturday's referendum, was intended to help Iraqis "work together quite well" and expressed hope that concerns over the country's possible breakup would now abate. Earlier this month, Bulgaria, Romania's southern neighbor, announced it would keep its 370 troops in Iraq to help safeguard December parliamentary elections but would start withdrawing by the end of the year as planned. Ungureanu was in New York to chair a meeting of the U.N. Security Council looking at how regional organizations can help the United Nations maintain international peace and security. Romania holds the council's rotating presidency for October.
