RIGA, Jan. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis said Friday that his country will pull its troops from Iraq after the upcoming elections scheduled for Jan. 30, accordingto reports reaching here from Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

    "I hope that elections scheduled for January will take place and the situation will normalize. This will allow our guys to return as soon as possible," Valionis told parliament.

    However, when interviewed by a radio station on Tuesday, National Defense Minister Gediminas Kirkilas said Lithuania has noplan to withdraw its troops from Iraq.

    Lithuania has deployed some 100 troops in Iraq as part of Danish and Polish battalions. The force currently has soldiers from 15 countries, and has shrunk from a peak strength of about 9,500 as several nations had pulled out.

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