Romania reverses plan to pull all troops from Iraq

BUCHAREST, June 30 (Reuters) Romania's Supreme Defence Council today rejected plans backed by the Prime Minister to pull the country's troops out of Iraq by the end of this year, the president said, in a move effectively quashing the proposal.

President Traian Basescu said, however, that Romania has negotiated with Western allies a reduction of Romania's 890 troops to 628 -- about 30 per cent. He did not give a time frame.

Basescu had slammed the plan for a full pullout yesterday, saying other state institutions and foreign partners should have been consulted. His political rival, Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu, supported the defence ministry's pullout proposal.

''The decision is to maintain troops at an agreed potential, in accordance with our commitments,'' Basescu told a news briefing, detailing the decision by the council known as CSAT.

''The CSAT rejected the document that had asked for a (total) withdrawal of troops.'' The approval of CSAT, headed by the president, was essential and its ruling definitively blocks the pullout plan, which the defence ministry proposed largely on financial grounds.

Parliament does not need to consider it.

The US and British ambassadors in Bucharest welcomed CSAT's decision.

Basescu said Romania had negotiated a reduction of troops.

''In negotiations on June 23 in London ... Romania committed to maintain 628 soldiers in Iraq. This means the withdrawal of an engineering troops detachment and two military police groups,'' he said.

The defence ministry's plan angered Basescu, who believed it could undermine the NATO-member's credibility. It took some of Romania's partners by surprise.

Tariceanu said after the CSAT decision he still back a Romanian pullout. Defence Minister Teodor Atanasiu had said earlier the Black Sea state would save million by withdrawing from Iraq.

The defence ministry's announcement on Thursday followed a similar move by Italy, while Japan began withdrawing its troops this month. Polish President Lech Kaczynski said his country's troops were expected to leave Iraq by mid-2007 at the latest.

REUTERS HS RAI2152