The body loses its fat deposits at roughly the same rate all over the body.
So, if you've got a high percentage of your total body fat around your waist, you probably have to look absolutely ripped everywhere else for your waist to be flat, and it could even be that you can't lose all of your tummy fat without dropping to unhealthily low body fat levels.
But hey, give it your best shot first!
Remember that a proper diet is the most important part, together with sufficient sleep. Exercise comes second.