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Australia downplays expected British troop reduction in Iraq

Feb 21, 2007, 4:31 GMT

Sydney - The Australian government on Wednesday downplayed an expected announcement from Britain that it would scale down its military presence in Iraq. 'They will be leaving several thousand troops in Iraq, and the important point to make here is the British are not withdrawing from Iraq,' Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said. 'What we are all trying to do is increasingly transfer responsibility for the security to the Iraqi security forces.' Australia joined Britain and Poland in committing troops for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and still has 1,400 soldiers serving there. Earlier this week, Canberra announced it was increasing its presence with the deployment of up to 70 additional military personnel to help train the Iraqi army. Downer was commenting on news reports that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has informed US President George W Bush that some of Britain's 7,000 soldiers would soon begin a phased withdrawal from Iraq. Those soldiers are mostly in the relatively peaceful southern city of Basra. Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said the British move was a sign of progress. 'Under no circumstances should anybody interpret the British having 5,000 troops in Basra, 10 times the Australian number, looking after the same number of provinces, as any kind of cut and run,' Nelson told reporters. '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 5,000.' Nelson denied that Blair's plan was diametrically opposed to Washington's policy of sending more troops to Iraq. 'People ought to remember that 60 per cent of the violence comes from Baghdad and al-Anbar province, where al-Qaeda is particularly active,' the defence minister said, speaking of the eastern province that is Iraq's largest. Prime Minister John Howard has consistently refused to set a timetable for the withdrawal of Australian troops. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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Alexander from MoscowFeb 21st, 2007 - 07:19:46

There are some details that not allowed me to agree with Mr. Nelson. The mission of Britain's soldiers is not to provide peace and progress just in the south of Iraq, but as a part of coalition to reduce violence in the whole Iraq, make the progress in this country irreversible. The situation in Iraq is far from stable, peaceful and predictable. And what we see - Washington sending additional troops, whereas London reduces owns. More logical and correct decision should be transferring part of Britain's soldiers from Basra to Baghdad.
Please allow me to make one more remark. To constitute democracy and peace in Iraq is not the goal only USA. It is and should be the goal of whole western civilization. Not suppressed just now Muslim’s terror would spread worldwide.

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