Browne: Iraq pull-out when time is right
Monday, 27 Nov 2006 17:40
Des Browne is speaking to a Chatham House delegation
The defence secretary has today revealed more details about when British troops will pull out of Iraq.
Speaking to the Chatham House thinktank in London this morning, Des Browne outlined how the UK's military presence in the country will develop.
"We will hand over when it is right to do so, not as a result of arbitrary deadlines," he said.
He added that he would not allow any of the 7,200 UK troops serving in Iraq to remain there any longer "than is necessary" but would not pull them out while they were still contributing to the chance of a "positive legacy" in the country.
His comments come less than a week after foreign secretary Margaret Beckett revealed that British troops would be out of Basra in the south of the country by next spring, something reiterated by Mr Browne today.
But he emphasised that any withdrawal from Basra, where the majority of Britain's troops deployed in Iraq are based, does not necessarily mean a full pull-out.
"The process needs to be handled carefully both here and in Iraq - we need to be clear that handover does not mean withdrawal," he added.
"I do not believe it is right to give precise numbers nor to assume what the next 12 months will hold. But I can tell you that by the end of next year I expect the numbers of British forces in Iraq to be significantly lower by a matter of thousands."
Mr Browne's speech has been somewhat overshadowed by the visit of Conservative leader David Cameron to Basra, alongside foreign spokesman William Hague.
His one-day trip comes as something of a surprise and means he will not attend the Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) annual conference, where he was due to deliver a speech.
Responding to Mr Cameron's decision not to attend the event, CBI president Sir John Sunderland said he "respected" the Tory leader's choice.
"But of course we are disappointed that he is not coming to speak at our conference," he added.
"It would have given him a chance to address some of the uncertainties about his position on a number of important business issues, so we see this as a missed opportunity."
Shadow chancellor George Osborne has taken Mr Cameron's place at the London conference, Sir John added.
Some 126 members of the British armed forces have died in Iraq since operations began in the country after the US-led invasion of the country in 2003.