Decision on British troops in Iraq 'by end of year'

Sunday, 19 October 2008 12:00 AM

The future of British troops in Iraq could be agreed by the end of this year, defence secretary John Hutton said after a surprise visit to Baghdad.

Mr Hutton said the British and Iraqi government wanted to see a change in the UK's role in the country.

"We want, in the first months of next year, to see a fundamental change in our military mission in Iraq, moving towards an increased focus on military training and education as part of a broad-based bilateral partnership," Mr Hutton said after meeting with Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.

"We agreed to work together intensively to put in place, by the end of this year, a formal agreement in relation to the status of UK forces in Iraq which will underpin this change."

For his part, Mr Maliki said that a deal needed to work on before the end of the year, when a United Nations mandate authorising the presence foreign troops in Iraq expires.

The UK currently has 4,000 troops in the country, all based at Basra airport, after last year's withdrawal which saw them take up an observation role as Iraqi forces assumed control of security in the province.

The US is also currently negotiating an agreement with Iraq on the terms under which US forces will continue to maintain security in the country.

The draft terms of the proposed pact could see US forces stay until 2011 but may require them to end patrols by mid-2009 and could also permit Iraqi courts to try US personnel for serious crimes.

However, on Sunday Iraq's ruling coalition said that while it supported some elements of the draft, it wanted to change others.

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