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Blair says troops may start leaving Iraq
in 2006
14.11.2005
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LONDON (Reuters)
- Britain could start pulling its soldiers out of
Iraq next year if local forces are strong enough to
keep the peace, Prime Minister Tony Blair said on
Monday.
"I think it's entirely reasonable to talk about the
possibility of withdrawal of troops next year but
it's got to be always conditioned by the fact that
we withdraw when the job is done," Blair told
reporters after talks with Iraqi Vice President Adel
Abdul Mahdi.
Blair said there was no question of British troops
quitting Iraq before local security services could
act on their own but said the buildup of Iraqi
forces was gathering pace.
"This is a completely different situation from a
year ago," he said. "As that progresses, obviously
the need for the multinational force reduces...but
it's a question of that happening when the job is
done.
"It's always been part of our plan to withdraw when
the Iraqis are capable of looking after their own
security."
Signs of a developing timetable are growing. Iraqi
President Jalal Talabani said on Sunday British
troops could leave the country within a year because
Iraqi security forces would be ready to replace
them.
Mahdi, talking to reporters with Blair, echoed that
assessment. "I think we will see a process next year
for a certain, partial withdrawal," he said.
Britain has about 8,000 soldiers in Iraq, stationed
mainly in the south. The area had been more stable
than some other regions but violence has risen there
in the last few months.
Defence Secretary John Reid said any plans to hand
over to Iraqi security forces would be dictated by
events on the ground and continued attacks by
insurgents would only delay the process.
But he, too, expected some troops to return home
next year.
"We are not saying that everyone will be out by the
end of 2006 but we are saying that this process...is
going relatively well and in the course of the next
year we could well see the handover to Iraqi forces
at certain places in Iraq, including in our own
area," Reid told BBC Radio.
Iraqis are working on training their own soldiers
and police to take full control of security of their
country and fight a Sunni Arab insurgency that has
killed thousands of people since 2003's U.S.-led
invasion.
Reuters
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