Britain will "hold its nerve" in Iraq, says Blair

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Monday October 23, 2006

London- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has again defended his country's military engagement in Iraq, telling Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih on Monday in London that Britain would "hold its nerve." Downing Street however rejected reports of Blair seeking assurance at his meeting with Salih that Iraqi security forces would take over responsibility for securing southern Iraq from Britain within a year.

Britain has about 7,000 soldiers stationed in Iraq, the second- largest contingent after the US. The deployment has been increasingly called into question in Britain in recent weeks, in tandem with rising concerns over the war in the United States.

The military top brass have even expressed doubts about the effectiveness of Britain's presence in Iraq.

The head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said recently that British troops were "exacerbating" security problems in Iraq and should withdraw "sometime soon."

Blair, however, insists that British troops will not pull out of Iraq until their task is completed.

After meeting with the British premier Salih said: "We understand this is not an open-ended commitment by the international community," but added that the international community could not "leave the Iraqis to face these difficult challenges on our own."

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency