Maintaining the troops of the international coalition in Iraq cannot be a solution for the Mideast country, just as the only solution worth considering for the Mideast is a political one, stated Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu on Thursday.

"I will prefer a political to a military solution," said Tariceanu in Alexandria, south-west of Bucharest, when answering whether he maintains his position regarding the pullout of Romanian troops from Iraq.

He underscored that maintaining troops in Iraq caused the U.S. Government "enormous headaches" and the situation in the Mideast cannot be solved .

A solution there, said Tariceanu, needs to take in consideration the development or under-development level of the countries in the area, which represents the premise for terrorist attacks or ethnic tensions in the region.

"I doubt that a massive military presence could ever solve the problem in Iraq," said Tariceanu.

U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday outlined a wide- ranging strategy on Iraq. He proposed sending 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq, which he said would "help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence" and hasten the day when U.S. troops come home.

Source: Xinhua