Majority ‘want Iraqi pullout timetable’
The majority of voters want to see a timetable for pulling troops out of Iraq despite the current worsening security situation in the country, according to a new poll.
An ICM poll for the Guardian shows that 51 per cent of those questioned want the government to announce plans to withdraw troops from the troubled region.
Only 41 per cent agree with Tony Blair’s stance on keeping the soldiers in the country until there are signs of improvement.
The prime minister yesterday said there should be no specific date for withdrawal from the country, denying reports that a date had been set to begin the scaling down of forces.
Mr Blair told BBC1’s Sunday AM there would be no “arbitrary” date set for withdrawal, adding that the invasion of Iraq was “crucial” for British security.
Tensions between local authorities in British controlled southern Iraq and UK forces appeared to be reach a particularly low ebb last week, after an arrest warrant was issued by an Iraqi judge for two British soldiers.
The men had been retrieved from an Iraq jail by British troops in dramatic scenes on Monday.
Both main opposition parties last week also called for clarification over the government’s policy in Iraq, with fears expressed that the country was teetering on the brink of civil war.
Today’s poll will do little to cheer the premier, as it shows increasing levels of dissatisfaction with the premier, just a couple of months after he received a boost in the wake of the London terror attacks.
A total of 58 per cent are now unhappy with the job Mr Blair is doing as prime minister, in contrast to a majority who were happy with him in a similar poll last month. Part of the reason may be that 71 per cent think the premier is devoting too much time to international issues.
A total of 1,009 people over the age of 18 were interviewed between September 23rd and 24th for the ICM poll.
