Iraqi Forces To Receive Basra Security File
Baghdad, Sept 10, (VOI)- The newly appointed British Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Prentice said on Monday that the Iraqi forces will receive the security file in Basra within the upcoming months.
Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, the new ambassador said that “the Coalition forces’ strategy depends on increasing Iraqi forces’ capabilities so as to be able to take over the security responsibility by themselves.”
He praised Iraqi security forces’ abilities, saying “they have a new command and it is now able to face challenges in the southern province.”
Britain handed over the three bases in Basra this year to Iraqi forces: the base in Shatt al-Arab hotel, 35 km in northern Basra, al-Saai base at the center of the city and al-Shuaiba base, 35 km west of Basra.
The British forces in Basra, 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, keep 5,500 troops within the Multi-National Force in Iraq after withdrawing 1,600 soldiers during the past few months.
Britain is the United States’ prime ally in the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Regarding the five British nationals, who were kidnapped from the finance ministry on May 29, 2007, Prentice said “he is worried about them and we abide to leave no stone unturned to release them.”
He strongly denied that the British forces were defeated in Iraq, underlining that “we succeeded in Basra.”
He welcomed with the decision taken by Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr to freeze al-Mahdi army.
The diplomat denied also any tension in U.S.-British ties.
Prentice presented his credentials to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Sept 7, succeeding Dominic Asquith.
He was ambassador to Jordan from 2002-2006. He served as the head of Middle East and North Africa Department in the Foreign Office from 1998-2002 and was an assistant secretary to former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd.
The new ambassador has a good knowledge of Arabic, which he acquired through training in the period 1978-1979, after which he worked as a diplomat in Kuwait and a Middle East analyst at the Foreign Office.
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“Regarding the five British nationals, who were kidnapped from the finance ministry on May 29, 2007, Prentice said “he is worried about them and we abide to leave no stone unturned to release them.””
How’s that? How are you going to do that while withdrawing?
September 10th, 2007 at 9:17 amAre you guys Korean by chance?
The UK has come a long way from Churchill. He would be embarassed to be English today.
September 10th, 2007 at 9:24 am