Gordon Brown has ruled out setting a timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, saying they still have "an important job to do". The prime minister said in a letter to Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell that the military still had "clear obligations to discharge". He insisted setting a timetable would undermine those efforts. Sir Menzies said Mr Brown was "ignoring the reality" in Iraq and should accept that UK efforts there had failed. (BBC News)
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
PM rules out Iraq exit timetable
Gordon Brown has ruled out setting a timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, saying they still have "an important job to do". The prime minister said in a letter to Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell that the military still had "clear obligations to discharge". He insisted setting a timetable would undermine those efforts. Sir Menzies said Mr Brown was "ignoring the reality" in Iraq and should accept that UK efforts there had failed. (BBC News)