Sofia, Bulgaria, Oct 23, SPA -- International troops _ includinghundreds of Bulgarians _ will have to stay in Iraq for atleast another year, given the volatile situation, thedefense minister said Tuesday after talks with senior U.S.officials. Visiting Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the U.S. Army's chief ofstaff, said after talks with Bulgarian Defense MinisterNikolai Svinarov that he was "optimistic" about thefuture of Iraq, but refused to speculate on when themultinational coalition would complete its mission andleave the country. "No one could predict that _ we have to see the outcomeof the elections in January and the evolution of thesovereign government of Iraq," he told reporters after thevisit. "But we, as a nation and as a coalition, arecommitted to see this through." Svinarov assured U.S. officials "Bulgaria will not pullout from Iraq _ at least not before the other members ofthe multinational coalition."--SPA1423 Local Time 1123 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/208229