British Iraq pull-out fuels strains with US
2 hours, 33 minutes ago
LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown defended Monday the withdrawal of troops from Basra city in Iraq, but the move will do little to ease mounting signs of tension between London and Washington.
Brown, who took over as premier from Tony Blair in June, stressed that British troops withdrawn to Basra airport remain on standby to deploy again if the security situation demanded.
"We are able to reintervene in certain circumstances. The purpose has been to hand the security over from the British army to the Iraqi security forces," he said, as London confirmed the pull-out of some 500 troops was complete.
"This is a pre-planned and this is an organised move," Brown told BBC radio.
"We will discharge all our responsibilities to the Iraqi people; we will discharge our international obligations exacted in the United Nations."
But analysts have pointed out a cooling of relations between London and Washington under Brown, who is seen as attempting to distance himself from his predecessor's cosy ties with US President George W. Bush.
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LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown defended Monday the withdrawal of troops from Basra city in Iraq, but the move will do little to ease mounting signs of tension between London and Washington.
Brown, who took over as premier from Tony Blair in June, stressed that British troops withdrawn to Basra airport remain on standby to deploy again if the security situation demanded.
"We are able to reintervene in certain circumstances. The purpose has been to hand the security over from the British army to the Iraqi security forces," he said, as London confirmed the pull-out of some 500 troops was complete.
"This is a pre-planned and this is an organised move," Brown told BBC radio.
"We will discharge all our responsibilities to the Iraqi people; we will discharge our international obligations exacted in the United Nations."
But analysts have pointed out a cooling of relations between London and Washington under Brown, who is seen as attempting to distance himself from his predecessor's cosy ties with US President George W. Bush.
LinkHere
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 5:32 PM
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