Britain says no timetable for Iraq pull-out (MSM supporting insurgency)

[Barrett808]

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has ruled out setting a timetable for the withdrawal of its soldiers from Iraq, saying they will stay "until the job is done."

Writing in Britain's Times newspaper on Friday, Defense Secretary John Reid said a pull-out would come only after Iraqis were capable of taking the lead in tackling the insurgency.

"Any withdrawal of forces will be based on local conditions, not some immutable timetable," Reid wrote. "This will mean a transition, a process, not a peremptory decision or a one-off event."

U.S. officials have avoided suggesting a timetable since insurgent violence worsened sharply after the new government took power in April.

President George W. Bush has repeatedly said a timetable depends on the readiness of Iraqi troops to keep the peace.

Leaked British government documents published in a London newspaper last month suggested Britain is planning to cut its Iraq forces to 3,000 from 8,500 by the middle of next year.

The document, published by the Mail on Sunday, said Washington is discussing plans to cut its force -- now nearly 140,000 -- to just 66,000 by mid-2006.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050819/wl_nm/iraq_britain_dc

[Toots]

1. Don't the DSM's show Brittain was concerned about exit strategy.

I remember they expressed a great concern about the US not having plans for victory and withdrawal. Now they say they can't have any plans or the enemy will win.