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U.K.: No 'Cut And Run' From Iraq
London (UPI) Sep 21, 2005 British Defense Secretary John Reid said Wednesday the United Kingdom would not "cut and run" from Iraq because of recent unrest but would stay as long as the Iraqi government thought it necessary. In a display of solidarity with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari after talks in London, the pair denied the violence that has shaken Basra in recent days had strained relations between the two countries. Neither was it a sign British troops were no longer welcome in the country, they stressed. Reid said Britain's 8,500 troops would remain in Iraq until its domestic forces were able to take over responsibility for security, despite reports of protests on the streets of Basra Wednesday against their presence. "We will not cut and run and we will not leave the job half done," he said. "We stand by Iraq when times are tough and we will be a committed friend, not a fair-weather friend." He denied reports that plans for troop reductions had been put on hold because of the deteriorating security situation, saying such plans had never existed in the first place. Jaafari, asked when he thought the multinational forces should leave, said he could not predict a date but was working to ensure it was "as quickly as possible." Iraq was keen foreign troops should remain no longer than necessary, he said. Tensions had been running high in Basra following the arrest Sunday of a senior figure in the Shiite Mehdi Army loyal to firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Violence erupted following British attempts to free two SAS soldiers who had been arrested by Iraqi police. Troops sent to a police station were attacked with petrol bombs, rockets and other missiles; two tanks were set alight. The Ministry of Defense reported the men were later rescued from militia, to whom they had been handed by Iraqi police. However conflicting reports have resulted in an unclear picture of events. Iraqi officials say the two soldiers, reportedly dressed as Arabs and driving a civilian car, fired on police at a checkpoint; the Ministry of Defense has refused to confirm this. Meanwhile Iraqi Interior Minister Baqir Solagh Jabr told the BBC the men never left police custody or the prison building in Basra and were not handed to militants. Al-Jaafari said he was also unaware of the details but the incident would be thoroughly investigated. However it had not led to tensions between the two countries, he said. "Such things are expected to happen," the Iraqi prime minister said. "It will not affect the relationship between Iraq and Britain." "There has not been a fundamental breakdown in trust," Reid added. "There has been an incident that will be investigated." Both were keen to stress that the hostility displayed towards British troops in recent days did not represent the attitudes of most Iraqis. Such rioting had not happened in Basra in the previous two and a half years, al-Jaafari said. Reid added the riot had involved around 250 people, out of the city's population of around 1.5 million. While the violence made for "dramatic pictures," he said, it was perpetrated by a "relatively tiny minority." Such obstacles were a natural part of the path to freedom and democracy, he said. "Progress has been made, but progress is not inevitable. "Democracy does not come easily and freedom has to be won, often in defiance of those whose only objective is dictatorship and whose only strategy is terrorism." Al-Jaafari also downplayed the level of infiltration of Iraqi forces by militia or sympathizers, brought into focus by recent events. Such infiltration was "very narrow," he said; however efforts were being made to combat it. Both Reid and al-Jaafari issued a stern warning to Iran not to interfere in Iraqi affairs. "I hope that any country near or bordering Iraq itself would be doing nothing that is or could be construed as assisting terrorists," Reid said. Al-Jaafari said that while Iraq wanted good relations with its neighbors, it would not allow foreign influence on its domestic affairs. "Our red light is our sovereignty and integrity," he said. The pair's appearance, clearly intended to rebuff calls for troop withdrawal, comes amid growing pressure on the government over the conflict. Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell called Monday for Parliament to debate an exit strategy for British troops, which, he said, had become part of the problem in the beleaguered nation. Conservative leadership contender Sir Malcolm Rifkind said Iraq was Britain's "most serious foreign policy disaster" in 60 years. Rifkind, who opposed the Iraq invasion, told the BBC that the Suez crisis had been "modest in comparison" as it was over in a few days. "Even Vietnam is not as bad as where we are now because at least in Vietnam the Americans had been invited in by a government trying to protect themselves from communism," he said. "Here we actually went in, created a war that would otherwise not have occurred and now we see a complete political vacuum... I find it staggering that the prime minister remains in office." The former foreign secretary agreed Britain and the United States should not "cut and run," but said they should recognize the scale of their error. However, he said, troops should be withdrawn if it became clear that police in southern Iraq "had become not an ally but an enemy." But "we are not in that situation yet," he added. Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Basra Chaos Prompts Calls For UK Pullout London (UPI) Sep 20, 2005 Two British soldiers whose arrest by Iraqi police led to riots in Basra had been handed over to Shiite militia, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Tuesday. |
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