Southern Iraq security deteriorating despite British troops

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi Defence Minister Abdel Qader Jassim Mohammed has said that the security situation in the southern oil city of Basra was getting worse despite the presence of British troops.

"The security situation in Basra is deteriorating because of political differences, organised crime and clan feuds," he admitted at a joint news conference with visiting British Defence Minister Des Browne Monday.

The Iraqi minister said that the solution to the problems in Iraq's second city, where there have been a number of recent armed clashes and bombings, would be a political rather than a military one.

Since May, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has set up a committee to oversee a state of emergency in Basra, where rival Shiite tribes and political groups are vying for control of government and oil resources.

Britain has begun to withdraw its forces from some areas of southern Iraq as local units gradually assume control, but it maintains a large base in Basra and has been working closely with the government on its security plan.

"Our two countries have a shared history and we will continue to support the Iraqi people as friends," Browne told reporters, at the start of a brief unannounced visit to Baghdad.

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