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UK says no plans to withdraw from Iraq

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Brussels, July 12, IRNA
EU-Straw
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Tuesday that his country has no plans to pull out its occupation forces from Iraq.

"We have no plans to withdraw troops from Iraq, we will stay there as long as the democratic elected government from Iraq ask us to stay," Straw told the Foreign Relations Committee of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Presenting the programme of the British EU Presidency, Straw said 16th of August will be a date to be remembered as the beginning of the work to be done for the creation of the State of Palestine living alongside with Israel.

Israel is to begin its disengagement from Gaza on August 16.

He called on Syria not to interfere in the affairs of Lebanon and to respect its international commitments.

Answering questions by MEPs, Straw said the EU will not be able to reach an agreement on UN reforms.

"We are not going to reach a consensus on membership of the security council. It is a divisive issue amongst (EU) member states," he said.

Later speaking at a press conference, Straw called for enhanced EU cooperation at a practical level to combat terrorism in the wake of last week's terror attacks in London.

"Better coordination, better identification, where we ought to strengthen cooperation," he said.

But he also stressed that "we cannot create a police state, that would be a defeat for our values and a victory for terrorists." The UK took over the six-month EU rotating Presidency on 1 July.

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