Poland may extend Iraq mission again- def. minister

KRAKOW, Poland, July 7 (Reuters) Polish soldiers may stay longer in Iraq than the government had initially planned, Defence Minister Aleksander Szczyglo said today.

Poland had previously said it would not keep its 900 soldiers in Iraq beyond the end of 2007 but Szczyglo said another extension could not be ruled out.

''We are preparing our soldiers for another change,'' he told reporters at a military airport near Krakow.

Most Poles oppose the presence of their troops in Iraq.

Szczyglo said the decision whether to stay in Iraq will be discussed by the Polish and US presidents later in July but would mainly depend on the security level in Iraq and on the level of training of the Iraqi army.

Poland is a firm ally of the United States and is negotiating terms to place a US anti-missile shield on its territory despite fierce opposition from Russia.

REUTERS SV RK1514