Australia says Britain is not cutting and running [View All]

[Doondoo]

The Howard Government today denied Britain was cutting and running by deciding to start pulling its troops out of Iraq. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told US President George W. Bush he will begin pulling Britain's 7100 troops out of Iraq - reportedly within weeks.

Although Mr Blair has yet to confirm details, news reports in Britain say Mr Blair will announce the first contingent of 1500 troops will leave Iraq in a matter of weeks, and a further 1500 will follow by the end of the year.

Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson today played down the significance of the expected announcement and said it was a sign of progress in southern Iraq, where most British troops are based.

"Under no circumstances should anybody interpret the British having 5000 troops in Basra, 10 times the Australian number, looking after the same number of provinces, as any kind of cut and run," he told reporters in Perth.

"In fact, what this is evidence of is the fact that in the south of Iraq we are making progress and the British are confident enough to reduce their troop numbers to around 5000."


http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21262654-601,00.html