Blair Gives Iraq 12 Months To Be Ready For Handover

Blair gives Iraq 12 months to be ready for handover

· PM to meet Iraqi leaders in Downing St today
· Former envoy warns that 'only bad options' remain

Patrick Wintour and Michael Howard
Monday October 23, 2006
The Guardian

Tony Blair will put pressure on the Iraqi government today to demonstrate that its security forces will be ready to take over from the British army in southern provinces within roughly a year.
Amid mounting international concern over escalating violence, Mr Blair is expected to use today's Downing Street talks with Iraq's deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, to discuss plans for an exit strategy for British troops, with some ministers openly contemplating withdrawal inside a year.

In an attempt to demonstrate that the British army will not be bogged down in Iraq indefinitely, the defence secretary, Des Browne, said yesterday he expected that Iraq's security forces would have the capacity within a year to take over from British forces, a point also pushed home by the Foreign Office minister, Kim Howells. Mr Howells said: "I would have thought that certainly in a year or so there will be adequately trained Iraqi soldiers and security forces - policemen and women and so on - in order to do the job."

more at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1929000,00.html

Just this morning. I guess Blair now makes it official.

I feel you will see something similar from Bush after the election.

We invade and occupy a government who was never a threat to us, destabilize them, and then give their forces 12 months. Total insanity. There is no such thing as Iraq or an Iraqi. They are tribes who were put together for politics. They don't like each other. This is really insane.

Saddam held them together. No one or anything else will.

Makes you proud to be an American, doesn't it?

Britain already theoretically handed over their towns and provinces?

The genie is "out of the bottle" and even Saddam can't get it back in. What a fucking mess.

to see if they can just maintain at this level and make it better. Delusional. Won't he be out of office by then anyway?:shrug:

Tony "Lapdog" Blair has seen his approval ratings drop to Chimpy-like levels? It's a mere 31%. Hey, Brits! Whens your next general election?