Should we stay or should we go now.

[Spiral]

Blair sees Iraq troop statement in weeks


By Peter Graff

LONDON (Reuters) - The government expects to make an announcement about cutting the size of its force in Iraq within the next few weeks, Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Monday.

"The whole purpose is that there should be a process whereby we can draw down our troops as the Iraqi capability takes over the activities of security enforcement," Blair told a news conference, when asked about the size of the British force.

"I think you will find in the next few weeks we will have some things to say about that, that may give people some more certainty for the future.

Britain has about 8,000 troops in Iraq, mainly in the south, which has been much less volatile than Baghdad and the areas west and north of the capital patrolled by U.S. forces.

But the southern city of Basra has been increasingly dangerous over the past year. A British helicopter crashed in the city on Saturday -- possibly shot down -- killing all five crew on board and sparking riots in which five Iraqis died.

Blair said he had spoken to Iraq's new prime minister Nuri al-Maliki and expected talks on the fate of the U.S.-led foreign forces in Iraq to start when Maliki had finalised his cabinet.

"I hope very much that in the next week to 10 days we will have a proper new government in Iraq. We will then sit down and work out with them what can happen with the multi-national force for the future," said Blair.

Maliki, a Shi'ite, was selected to lead the new government after interim Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari was persuaded to step aside. Washington and London want Maliki to form a unity government that will include Kurds and Sunni Arabs.

British officials have said some of the southern provinces could be among the first considered safe enough for U.S.-led multinational forces to withdraw and hand over security responsibility to Iraqis.

Newly appointed Defence Secretary Des Browne told parliament on Monday that Britain was committed to remaining in Iraq "as long as we are needed, and the Iraqi government wants us to stay and until the job is done".

After the helicopter crash in Basra, British troops and Iraqi security forces came under attack from Iraqis using stones, guns, petrol bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, Browne said.

British soldiers replied with baton rounds and a "limited amount" of live ammunition, he said.

Browne said he and military commanders on the ground disagreed with those who saw the clashes as evidence that southern Iraq was rising up against the British and that London should pull out all its troops immediately.

Investigations were under way into the cause of the helicopter crash and into whether British soldiers were responsible for any of the Iraqi casualties, he said.


kinda reminds me of the song 'should i stay or should i go now' like why leave now when the party is just starting?
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****NORTHERN IRELAND NEWSFLASH!!**** According to a recent survey, 94% of loyalists said the best sex they ever had was in the shower; the other 6% haven't been to jail yet.***

[Cookie!]

Tie Blair to a post, get a firing squad, shoot.

Then get the troops home