Iraq will need coalition forces after handover: Iraqi interim FM

LISBON (AFP) - Iraqi interim foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari stressed that it was essential for US-led coalition forces to remain in the country after the June 30 restoration of Iraqi sovereignty.

"I'd like to repeat here (a call for) the continuation of the presence of coalition forces. Iraq needs it more than anything else," said Zebari during a two-day visit to Portugal which has national guards in the country.

"We need these forces there until the new Iraq is ready to assume responsibility for security," he told a joint press conference with his Portuguese counterpart Teresa Gouveia.

Zebari warned that any premature departure of US-led troops would endanger the country's unity and stability, raising the possibility of civil war.

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