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Bush cautions Brown on Iraq withdrawal

LONDON: U.S. President George W. Bush waded into a controversy over Iraq as he flew into Britain on Sunday.

His remarks in an interview to The Observer newspaper that America was opposed to a time-table for withdrawal of coalition troops from Iraq were interpreted as an implicit “warning” to Britain not to rush into pulling its troops.

“I am confident that he [Prime Minister Gordon Brown], like me, will listen to our commanders to make sure that the sacrifices that have gone forward won’t be unravelled by drawdowns that may not be warranted at this point of time. I look forward to discussing it with him,” he said.

Mr. Bush’s comments followed reports that Britain planned to bring home its remaining 4,500 troops from Basra by the end of the year.

But Downing Street denied disagreement with America over the issue and said any pullout would depend on “conditions on the ground”.

“It is not our policy to set arbitrary timetables,” the BBC reported a spokesperson as saying.

Anti-war groups plan to protest against his visit when he meets Mr. Brown in Downing Street on Monday.

Commentators said the visit could be embarrassing for Mr. Brown at a time when Mr. Bush’s ratings in his own country had plummeted to a new low and his policies were being questioned by a growing number of Americans.

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