Blair: Troops will leave Iraq as soon as possible
Tony Blair has said that he wants British troops to leave Iraq as soon as possible.
But, the Prime Minister said that the timetable for exit would depend on how quickly Iraq can build up its own security capabilities.
And he hinted that Nato could soon be involved in the training of Iraqi police and troops.
Mr Blair made his comments during his twice-yearly grilling by the House of Commons Liaison Committee, which comprises all the chairs of the various Commons select committees.
Mr Blair denied that the departure of some countries’ troops from Iraq was evidence of diplomatic failure, and predicted that the upcoming Nato meeting would see more countries commit to assisting in the training of Iraqi forces.
The Prime Minister faced criticism from Sir George Young, who argued that there had been “more chaos than there need have been” in the aftermath of the invasion.
But, Mr Blair said that the coalition’s main planning had been designed to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, which did not occur, and that the insurgency had been “astonishing in its wickedness”.
The Iraqi forces, he said, had performed well during the recent election and the priority now was to complete the ‘Iraqi-isation’ of security. When this is complete, the British forces would leave “as soon as possible.”
